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Kidde Residential & Commercial
1016 Corporate Park Drive
Mebane, NC 27302
http://www.Kidde.com

Contact – Todd Pendergast, Web Communications Manager
Ph – 919-304-8244
Fax – 919-563-2712
Email – todd.pendergast@fs.utc.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

New California Resolution
Inspires Community Initiative

Community and industry leaders unite to help educate families during
California’s first Carbon Monoxide Awareness Week.

Mebane, NC, November 12, 2007 – A partnership that includes Safe Kids Los Angeles; the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health; the Sacramento and Los Angeles County Fire Departments; and Kidde, a leading fire safety manufacturer; will hold two press events to help educate families during California Carbon Monoxide (CO) Awareness Week.

At two press events, Kidde will donate 900 carbon monoxide alarms alarms to help protect Californians from the dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning.

The first donation will take place at the Los Angeles County Fire Department Headquarters on November 13, from 10:00 to 10:30 a.m. Kidde will donate 450 carbon monoxide alarms to SAFE Kids Los Angeles. The alarms will be distributed to low-income families by the LA County Fire Department.

A second donation will happen on November 14, from 2:00 to 2:30 p.m. at the Sacramento Fire Department’s Engine One Building. Firefighters will receive 450 alarms, which they will distribute to the local community. Fire department officials and carbon monoxide poisoning experts will be available to speak about the dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning.

CO Awareness Week was approved by the California legislature in September. The measure urges the State Fire Marshal, fire departments, public schools, and other organizations to initiate activities during the week to help raise awareness about this silent killer and explain ways that families can protect themselves.

Awareness is Key to Prevention

Carbon monoxide is the leading cause of accidental poisoning deaths in the U.S. and kills more than 2,000 people a year according to the The Journal of the American Medical Association and the Centers for Disease Control.

“It’s important to recognize the lethality of CO exposure,” said James DeCarli, SAFE Kids Los Angeles and the LA County Department of Public Health. “Carbon monoxide poisoning fatalities are at least two to three times greater than hospitalizations, illustrating how severe exposure can be. We need to do all we can to educate families about how to protect themselves and getting alarms into families’ hands is a great start.

The easiest way to detect carbon monoxide is with a CO alarm, yet an estimated 71 percent of U.S. homes do not have one. Experts recommend installing CO alarms on every level of the home and near sleeping areas.

More information about carbon monoxide and California CO Awareness Week is available at http://www.KnowAboutCO.com

About Kidde
Since 1917, Kidde has earned a trusted reputation as the world’s largest manufacturer of fire safety products whose mission is to provide safety solutions that protect people and property from fire and its related hazards. Kidde offers a wide range of fire protection products including smoke alarms, carbon monoxide alarms, fire extinguishers, escape ladders and other accessories. Kidde is part of UTC Fire & Security, a leading global supplier of fire safety and security services serving government, industrial, commercial and retail industries. UTC Fire & Security is a division of United Technologies Corporation (NYSE:UTX) a diversified company that provides high technology products and services to the aerospace and commercial building industries worldwide.