The office of the Fire Marshal, Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services and the Building and Development Branch of the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing are asking Ontario residents to check their Firex carbon monoxide and combination carbon monoxide/smoke alarms after the Maple Chase Company issued a voluntary recall.

Sold under the Firex brand, a malfunctioning component in certain carbon monoxide alarms and combination carbon monoxide/smoke alarm devices can cause the alarms to go into a double chirp fault mode in the presence of carbon monoxide prior to the unit going into full alarm mode.

According to the owner's manual, the device must be taken out of service when this fault is present and cannot be reset.

Although no incidents have been reported relating to the hazard, it puts consumers at risk of injury or death, said a spokesperson for the Ontario Fire Marshal.

The recall involves Firex branded 10000 and 12000 series alarms with item numbers: 10000, 12000, 12000C, 12000-6, 12200, 12220, 12400 and 12400C, manufactured between June 1, 2007 and Feb. 1, 2008.

In total, 16,000 were sold in Ontario.

Owners of the alarms should contact Maple Chase immediately at 1-888-879-3906 to receive a free comparable replacement alarm and make arrangements to return their affected alarms.

The public is reminded that it is the law to have a working smoke alarm on every storey of their home and outside all sleeping areas. Working smoke alarms provide early detection of fire and can give people the precious seconds needed to escape.

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