Free Carbon Monoxide Alarms for the Elderly and Vulnerable
Hello
Did you know that an average of 41 people a year die from fire and 6 from Carbon Monoxide poisoning, with many additional injuries. If you keep an eye on the national and local news you will see that many of these deaths happen in rural Ireland and where people are living alone or are vulnerable. But many of these deaths are preventable if working alarms are installed.
Whilst new homes are obliged to install Carbon Monoxide alarms due to building regulations, the same is not true of older homes. So we can make a difference.
Muintir na Tíre has been allocated pilot funding by the Department of Rural and Community Development to install 2,000 Carbon Monoxide alarms in the homes of elderly and vulnerable persons across Ireland.
This programme is aimed at persons who do not have existing alarms and do not have the resources to install alarms themselves. It will be rolled out through Muintir Community Alert Groups and Community Councils.
There will be no charge for the alarms or for installation.
Your group can apply for Carbon Monoxide (CO) alarms for residents in your areas and you can install them on a voluntary basis. They are battery powered alarms so installation is straightforward. To encourage a good take-up we have tried to make the application process as straightforward as possible.
Eligible groups can apply by completing the GROUP FORM above and returning the completed application form to me at conor@muintir.ie or if necessary to the postal address below as soon as possible.
A separate INDIVIDUAL FORM must be completed and signed twice by each proposed recipient of an alarm before and after installation.
These INDIVIDUAL FORMS should be retained by the group safely and securely and should not be returned to Muintir na Tire although it may be necessary to examine a sample of them for good practice.
We are encouraging groups to apply as soon as possible alarms will be allocated on a First come, first served basis whilst striving to satisfy as many groups as possible and reaching out across the country. Thus we can’t guarantee that all applications can be met.
Alarms will be delivered via myself as appropriate once the decision about allocations is made. The timeframe for this will depend on the rate of response from groups but we hope this will be a reasonably prompt process.
Application details are also available on
www.muintir.ie/community-development/carbon-monoxide-alarms
Conor O’Leary
Muintir na Tire Eastern Region Development Officer
Enterprise Centre, Kiltegan, Baltinglass, Co. Wicklow, W91 Y38W
Tel: 086-6000753
E-mail: conor@muintir.ie
