The International Code council (ICC) designated the month of May as the building safety month.

Here is a short video from John Kuehl, Building Official for the cities of Monterey and Pacific Grove, Calif., on the importance of Smoke and Carbon Monoxide alarms.

Please note that the State of Washington requires a Carbon Monoxide detector in every home that is sold whether it has a fuel burning device or not.

Another note that I want to make is that Carbon Monoxide alarm manufacturers actually have a different placement strategy for these devices.

First Alert and the NFPA recommend that the CO alarms be installed outside each sleeping area in the immediate vicinity of the bedrooms.

For added protection they also recommend installing 20 feet away from a fuel burning heat source or furnace.

Also there are areas you do not want to install a CO detector this includes; garages, kitchens, furnace rooms or any area that is extremely dusty or dirty and very humid areas such as bathroom, saunas, laundry and shower areas.

When installing any of these safety devices you should read the instruction and become familiar with their operation and placement needs.