The University of Denver is spending $50,000 to retrofit all university-owned buildings containing sleeping quarters, including residence halls and university owned apartments, with carbon monoxide detectors in the aftermath of the carbon monoxide poisoning of a graduate student in an off campus apartment Jan. 5.
The university hopes to have detectors installed near any fuel burning appliance in these buildings and in any area that uses a line of gas by May of this year, according to Director of Facilities Management Jeff Bemelen.
With the new initiative in place, DU will exceed all existing safety codes and regulations, which were already being met by university procedures, Bemelen said.
Lauren Johnson, 23, died in an apartment on South Josephine Street on the first day of classes this quarter.
“That caused us to examine just how well we were protected. We wanted to add this aspect of safety. We think this is prudent although we already meet all the codes and regulations,” Bemelen said.
Smoke and carbon monoxide detectors have already been installed in all buildings where there is office use, and boilers in DU buildings are manually checked and certified by a third party once a year, according to Bemelen.
Johnson’s apartment was not equipped with a carbon monoxide monitor and firefighters believe the leak may have been caused by a damaged boiler flue cap in the building.
“We are thrilled to see that DU is taking action to improve the safety of students. We would like to improve the number of carbon monoxide detectors at DU and at colleges all around the state,” Don Johnson, Lauren’s father, told the Clarion.
Police said there was no criminal violation causing the carbon monoxide leak in Johnson’s building, according to Sonny Jackson of the Denver Police Department.
Don Johnson would not comment as to whether the family plans to bring litigation against the building manager or any other party.
In addition to sparking the new carbon monoxide detection initiative at DU, Johnson’s death lent urgency to proposed legislation currently awaiting hearing by the Colorado House of Representatives. The bill, officially named the Lofgren Family Memorial Act, would require carbon monoxide detectors in all new and resold or rented homes. The four members of the Lofgren family died on Thanksgiving from carbon monoxide exposure while staying in a house in Aspen.
While under discussion by the Business Affairs and Labor Committee on Jan. 27, a new amendment was proposed that would extend the bill to require carbon monoxide detectors in all public and, possibly, private universities.
“I think that’s a dangerous message to send out to the state that if you’re going to be living in a private apartment adjacent to campus, you’re going to be safe, but if you live in a dorm on campus you’re not going to be safe. We owe it to the students that attend our public universities that they are safe in their dormitory rooms,” Rep. David Balmer said during the hearing.
“With regard to the amendment, I would not leave out private universities and colleges. If we’re going to go down that road, it should cover all our kids, not just those at in-state institutions,” Rep. Christine Scanlan added later in the hearing.
The amendment did not pass because it lacked the input of university representatives. It will be reintroduced at a later date. The bill itself was passed by a vote of 9-2.
Jim Champagne, a public information officer for the Denver Fire Department, said that he hopes carbon monoxide detectors will become as common as smoke detectors.
“Don’t wait for this legislation to come down the pipeline and don’t rely on your landlord, go out and purchase [a detector] yourself. It is the most inexpensive life insurance you’ll ever buy. You have to be accountable for your own safety at the end of the day,” Champagne said.
Carbon monoxide detectors can be purchased at retailers like Wal-Mart and Home Depot or online.
On average, there are six to eight known carbon monoxide related deaths in Colorado every year.
