State Fire Marshal highlights statewide carbon monoxide (CO) awareness campaign
Oct. 13, 2025
ROCHESTER — The Minnesota Department of Public Safety’s State Fire Marshal (SFM) division is highlighting ongoing efforts to prevent carbon monoxide (CO) poisonings and deaths across the state.
SFM has distributed 2,500 CO alarms to fire departments in eight Minnesota cities with populations at higher risk of CO poisoning. Those cities are Austin, Bemidji, Brainerd, Duluth, Red Wing, Rochester, Virginia and Willmar.
Fire departments will install alarms in homes free of charge, while also educating residents on CO poisoning and prevention.
“Our firefighters and staff can leave these homes knowing every alarm works and every family is safer,” said Jason Fife, Rochester Fire Department assistant fire marshal. “The only alarm that saves lives is the one that actually works.”
The installations coincide with a statewide CO awareness and education campaign reminding Minnesotans to think about CO poisoning, especially as cold weather approaches and Minnesotans need to heat their homes.
Often called the invisible or silent killer, CO is an odorless, colorless, tasteless gas created when fuels (such as gasoline, wood, coal, natural gas, propane, oil, and methane) burn incompletely inside furnaces, generators, car engines, stoves, clothes dryers and many more commonly used appliances.
A person can be poisoned by a small amount of CO over a longer period of time or by a large amount of CO over a shorter period of time.
Signs of CO poisoning are similar to the flu and include nausea, headache, confusion, fatigue and shortness of breath.
“Carbon monoxide gives no warning,” said State Fire Marshal Dan Krier. “The only way to know you’re being poisoned before it’s too late is with a CO alarm. It’s a small device but it could save the people you love most.”
Cheryl Burt knows that all too well. Two of her sons, 15-month-old Zachary and 4-year-old Nicholas, died from CO poisoning in 1996 while sleeping in their beds.
Cheryl, her then-husband, 5-year-old son Ryan and the family dog were also poisoned but survived.
The family felt sick leading up to that night but didn’t know it was from CO leaking out of their furnace.
“I chose to buy a toy truck for my son, instead of a CO alarm,” said Burt. “I still have the toy truck, but my sons are gone.”
This SFM CO awareness campaign is partially funded through the federal Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Prevention Grant Program and Nicholas and Zachary Burt Memorial Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Prevention Act of 2021.
