Legislation is named for Clifton Couple Who Passed Away Last December from Carbon Monoxide Poisoning in Passaic
With winter quickly approaching, the time when most carbon monoxide related deaths occur, Assemblyman Gary Schaer is once again urging Gov. Christie to sign a bill that has been sitting on his desk for more than three months, which would require many mixed-use dwellings to have carbon monoxide detectors.
With nearly three months passing since the legislature unanimously approved the bill (A-4073) and sent it to the Governor’s desk on June 29, Schaer followed up with a letter to the governor on September 25 urging him to take action before the onset of the cold winter months.
“Over half of all non-fire related carbon monoxide deaths take place from the months of November through February. During these months, windows are kept closed while furnaces are turned up, thus increasing the risk for carbon monoxide poisoning,” Schaer noted in his letter to Christie. “Winter is fast approaching and since the legislation contains a 90-day implementation period, it is imperative that this legislation be signed immediately in order to avoid the potential of further tragedy. I respectfully urge you to review and sign this potentially lifesaving bill.”
Schaer’s legislation is designated “Korman and Park’s Law” after Noel Korman and Alice Park who lost their lives last December due to carbon monoxide exposure in a multi-use commercial structure in the City of Passaic that was home to nearly 20 rehearsal spaces and small recording studios rented monthly by a variety of local musicians and bands. Several others were also sickened and hospitalized from the exposure.
Ray Korman, the father of Noel Korman who died in the December 2014 tragedy, also echoed Schaer’s sentiments in a letter published in The Herald News in August.
Schaer has yet to hear a response from the governor’s office on his intentions for the bill, prompting him to renew his call for action.
Currently, carbon monoxide detectors are required in hotels, multiple dwellings, rooming and boarding homes, and in single- and two-family homes upon initial occupancy or change of occupancy. Schaer’s bill would expand this requirement to almost all other structures unless there is no source of carbon monoxide in the building.
A full copy of Schaer’s letter to the governor can be viewed here.