Members of the Imbierowicz family recently presented 30 carbon monoxide detectors to the Cochranville Fire Company on behalf of the Carly Imbierowicz Foundation. The donation was part of the family's ongoing effort to warn the public about the danger of carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning.

The Carly Imbierowicz Foundation is named for the daughter of Donna and Matt Imbierowicz, who passed away at the age of 16 on Nov. 22, 2014, along with her friend Daulton Pointek, 17. They died from carbon monoxide poisoning in the vehicle they drove on the way home from a movie. A broken exhaust pipe allowed deadly carbon monoxide gas to enter the car through the passenger air vents. At the time, both Carly and Daulton were students at Octorara High School.

This is the second time that the family has donated detectors. On Nov. 22, 2019, the fifth anniversary of the death of Carly and Daulton, the family presented 102 CO detectors to the fire department that were donated by First Alert and True Value.

The most recent donation of detectors was made by Lowe's Home Improvement in Avondale, where Donna works. "(Lowe's makes) donations to a nonprofit every month. I shared the story with them, and they said they would like to help," said Donna. "It goes hand in hand with October, Fire Safety Month. The fire company will distribute the CO detectors to communities in need. They have also offered to install them."

Presenting the donation were Donna and her son, Andrew Imbierowicz. Accepting the donation on behalf of the fire company were Judah Kocher, assistant fire chief, and Doug Lapp, deputy fire chief. Also on hand at the event was Foxy, an English mastiff, which is the offspring of Carly's dog, Malachi. The family bred Malachi in memory of Carly, nicknaming Malachi's 11 puppies as CO Awareness Angels. Those who adopted the dogs agreed to share Carly's story.

"Doing things like this helps with my grief," said Donna, noting the family has also established a website, http://www.cmiawareness.org. "The CMI stands for Carly Marie Imbierowicz. (The website provides) carbon monoxide information and promotes awareness."

According to the website, carbon monoxide is a "silent killer" because it is colorless, odorless and tasteless and cannot be detected by humans without the help of an alarm or detector.

People are asked to take precautions against CO poisoning by installing carbon monoxide detectors along with smoke detectors in their homes and checking the batteries in the spring and fall. Homeowners should also have their home heating systems inspected regularly by a certified professional. In addition, vehicle owners should make a habit of opening the garage door before starting their cars, and they should never leave a car running with the garage door closed.

Tips for preventing carbon monoxide poisoning in vehicles include maintaining the car's exhaust system and mufflers, partially opening a window if sitting for a long time in an idling vehicle and installing a battery-operated carbon monoxide detector in the vehicle.

More information and tips can be found at the aforementioned website.