Thursday, October 3, 2013

Assemblymember Weber’s Bill to Require Carbon Monoxide Detectors in New Schools Signed Into Law

 

SACRAMENTO, CA- Assemblymember Shirley N. Weber’s (D-San Diego) AB 56, which will require carbon monoxide detectors be installed in all public and private school buildings, was signed into law by Governor Brown earlier today.

AB 56 requires the State Fire Marshal to propose appropriate standards for the installation of carbon monoxide devices in school buildings, by January 1, 2015. With this guidance, the California Building Standards Commission will then include the standards in the 2016 California Building Standards Code, and any public or private school buildings built after these codes have been adopted in 2016 will be required to install carbon monoxide detectors.

On December 3, 2012, 43 students and 10 adults from Finch Elementary School in Atlanta, Georgia were evacuated and taken to the local hospital after firefighters discovered a carbon monoxide leak from the school’s furnace, causing it to work overtime and leak high levels of CO into the public areas and classrooms.

“Carbon monoxide detectors are essential to ensuring our children’s safety by detecting this poisonous gas early and all of our schools should have them. If we require fire and smoke detectors in schools, then it is a no brainer to require carbon monoxide detectors in schools to protect California students from this toxic gas and ensure they have a healthy learning environment,” said Assemblymember Weber.  

AB 56 received bipartisan support in both the Senate and Assembly and was co-authored by many other members of the state Legislature.                                  

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