New rules in Vancouver!

I was surprised when an article in one of the papers yesterday that told of a ruling by the council in Vancouver in Canada which dictates that all new homes must now be built with doors using door handles rather than door knobs.

The idea apparently is to make life easier for the elderly as it will be easier for them to push down a door handle whatever age or disability has done to them rather than trying to turn a door handle! It seems a reasonably sensible idea but I can think of things that ought to be compulsory in new builds both over there and especially here in the UK.

Something that I believe should by law fitted to all ‘new builds’ in the United Kingdom is an audible Carbon Monoxide Detector and if you actually get chance to read the new leaflet about carbon monoxide poisoning you will quickly see why.

Carbon monoxide is known as the silent killer and is colourless, odourless and tasteless and if you manage to be unfortunate to come into contact with it you can die befoore you realise! If it doesn’t kill you it will possibly damage your heart or your brain or both! Let me give you 5 points that might help you, all taken from the leaflet I have mentioned earlier!

• Make sure that any fossil fuel appliance you have installed is checked and fully serviced every year by a properly qualified engineer, do not leave it to chance. Also if you have an open fire make sure you have the chimney cleaned each year.
• Install audible Carbon Monoxide Alarms/Detectors and remember you may need more than one, there should be one in each room there is an appliance in. Do not leave things to chance, test them each week remember the motto ‘Test it Tuesday’
• Learn about and remember the symptoms of Carbon monoxide Poisoning for your own and others sake! If you start to suffer with headaches, dizziness, nausea, shortness of breath and other flu like symptoms then it may be that you have a problem with seeping CO, do you feel better outside or when you are at work then it is sensible to get help and get your appliances checked or if you have a CO alarm check the battery.
• It is winter now and so Barbeques are less likely to take place but some people still have them and if they do then they should make sure even in the cold that they use them outside, never take a BBQ into an enclosed space, do not use the dying embers of the BBQ to keep a room warm it might well be the last thing you ever do!
• Make sure that you spread the word and tell your friends and family about the problems with Carbon Monoxide Poisoning, they might think you are going on but if it saves their lives then they will be forever grateful!

So whilst I think that they move in Vancouver to make sure that the elderly and disabled can open doors more easily and perhaps we should do it over here we should all insist that all new builds and perhaps all rented properties are fitted with Carbon Monoxide Alarms by law and then we can know we are saving lives!