TORONTO, Dec. 11 /CNW/ - At a time when homeowners are increasingly
turning to heaters, household appliances and fireplaces to keep them warm,
Canadian Tire wants to help raise awareness about the potential dangers of
carbon monoxide, as well as provide helpful tips and information to help keep
homeowners safe this winter season.
    The number one cause of accidental poisoning deaths in North America,
carbon monoxide is an invisible, odourless gas that is created when fuels burn
incompletely. When ingested, carbon monoxide displaces oxygen in the blood and
puts vital organs at risk. Potential sources of carbon monoxide include gas
and wood-burning stoves, pilot lights, gas space heater, gas or oil furnace,
fireplace and clogged chimneys.Maintenance tips

    -   Ensure fuel-burning appliances (i.e. furnace) have been inspected by
        a qualified heating professional once a year
    -   Check heating ducts and pipes and call a professional if you see
        holes, cracks or separations
    -   Ensure your chimney is inspected and cleaned every year. Remove ice,
        snow, leaves etc that could be blocking ventilation
    -   Ensure furnaces and appliances have proper venting system

    Carbon Monoxide Detectors

    -   Carbon monoxide detectors should be replaced every five years
    -   Install one alarm on every level of your home
    -   Ensure alarms are mounted in or near bedrooms to ensure that the
        alarm is heard during sleeping hours
    -   Install at least 5 feet away from appliances

    If an alarm sounds

    -   Never ignore the warning
    -   Go immediately to a source of fresh air- outdoors or to an
        open window
    -   Call your local emergency service
    -   Discontinue whatever appliance or device is at faultFor more information on carbon monoxide detectors, visit a local Canadian
Tire store or canadiantire.ca.

    Canadian Tire Corporation, Limited (TSX: CTC.a, CTC), operates more than
1,180 general merchandise and apparel retail stores and gas stations in an
inter-related network of businesses engaged in retail, financial services and
petroleum. Canadian Tire Retail, Canada's most shopped general merchandise
retailer, with 473 stores operated by dealers across Canada offers a unique
mix of products and services through three specialty categories in which the
organization is the market leader - Automotive, Sports and Leisure, and Home
Products. www.canadiantire.ca offers Canadians the opportunity to shop online.
PartSource is an automotive parts specialty chain with 82 stores designed to
meet the needs of purchasers of automotive parts - professional automotive
installers and serious do-it-yourselfers. Canadian Tire Petroleum is one of
the country's largest and most productive independent retailers of gasoline,
operating 269 gas bars, 262 convenience stores and kiosks, and 74 car washes.
Mark's Work Wearhouse is one of the country's leading apparel retailers
operating 364 stores in Canada. Under the Clothes that Work™ marketing
strategy, Mark's sells apparel and footwear in work, work-related, casual and
active-wear categories, as well as health-care and business-to-business
apparel. www.marks.com offers Canadians the opportunity to shop for Mark's
products online. Canadian Tire Financial Services has issued over five million
Canadian Tire MasterCard credit cards and also markets related financial
products and services for retail and petroleum customers. Canadians can also
access Financial Services online at www.ctfs.com. More than 57,000 Canadians
work across Canadian Tire's organization from coast-to-coast in the
enterprise's retail, financial services, and petroleum businesses