A simple device has proved its worth for many, including residents of the Dawson City area late last week.

Dawson fire chief Jim Regimbal said this morning a couple in West Dawson was able to get out of their home and away from the poisonous gas thanks to the sound of the detector which roused them at around 4 a.m. last Thursday.

“Everything worked out well,” Regimbal said, noting the couple had woken up to the sounding alarm and fled the house.

It was later determined the clear, odourless gas was leaking from a propane refrigerator.

The couple’s carbon monoxide detector had been hand-delivered to the home in 2013 as part of the Home Safe program offered by the fire department.

Working with Kidde Canada, which provided 120 of the 900 detectors for free and the others at cost, the fire department provided every home in the Klondike area with a combination smoke/carbon monoxide detector.

“It was a worthwhile cause,” Regimbal said, noting he was pleased every home could be provided with a lifesaving device.

Speaking with the home owners over the weekend, he said they expressed their appreciation, knowing the difference a detector can make. The couple are expecting a baby.

Through Home Safe, detectors were offered and delivered to each home free of charge.

The fire department continues to have some available to any homes that may have been missed, Regimbal said, noting firefighters can also install them.

Last Thursday was not the first time the detectors have alerted residents of the Klondike to carbon monoxide in their home.

Since the Home Safe program provided the detectors, there’s been a couple of instances where residents vacated their homes safely after their alarms sounded, the fire chief pointed out.

Regimbal went on to emphasize the importance of contacting the fire department after the alarm goes off and the building has been vacated.

Even after windows and doors are open to let fresh air in and bring down the carbon monoxide levels, firefighters can check those levels to confirm a building is safe to re-enter.

As he said, while the fire department has some big trucks and equipment to handle emergencies, he’d much rather see preventative measures taken with the “big trucks” only needed for school and community presentations.

The detectors provided through the Home Safe program will last for 10 years, with a warning alert leading up to the 10 year deadline.

Carbon monoxide detectors became mandatory in all buildings with fuel-burning appliances and/or attached garages in 2013.

The legislation followed the deaths from carbon monoxide poisoning of a family of four and a friend who was boarding with them at their rented Porter Creek house in January 2012.

The detector requirement was one of a number of legislative changes made to prevent such tragedies in the future.

Assistance in distrbuting the detectors in Dawson also came from the City of Dawson, the Tr’ondek Hwech’in First Nation, Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada, the fire marshal’s office, Klondike Valley Fire Fighters Association, the Association of Yukon Fire Chiefs, Kluane Freight Lines Ltd. and Klondike MLA Sandy Silver.