Pictured is Deputy Fire Chief, Matthew Coon, who addressed the city council Monday night in regards to the planned Carbon Monoxide Prevention Program.

For the first time in its history, the Jamestown Fire Department has been awarded a grant to create a carbon monoxide program for city residents.

Matthew Coon, city deputy fire chief, discussed the grant and the fire department’s proposal with City Council members during this week’s work session. The carbon monoxide prevention program will include installation of more carbon monoxide detectors in city homes and public outreach about the importance of carbon monoxide detectors.

Three resolutions have been introduced for council approval. One is to purchase equipment for the public outreach section of the program, along with buying the detectors themselves and tools and equipment to help with the installation.

Coon said the grant was approved over the summer.

“The city received this grant; it came from the U.S. Consumer Protection Agency,” Coon said. “It’s a fairly new grant program. We were awarded in their very first year of distributing funding.”

Coon said the department has long desired to have this type of program and to be able to make it available to the community. He added that carbon monoxide is a dangerous gas that is not able to be detected without equipment.

“Carbon monoxide is tasteless, odorless, colorless, it’s not able to be detected by most senses without some type of metering equipment,” Coon said. “In order to keep the community safe, we were successful in procuring this grant.”

The city fire department’s Fire Prevention Bureau employees were in charge of and instrumental to securing the grant, and who will be the ones installing the carbon monoxide detectors, he said. Low and moderate income residents in the city will be the ones targeted by this program, including the disabled, elderly and veterans, though Coon added that it will mostly be homeowners. Coon said the department is hopeful that this program will be a success.

“We’re hopeful that we can help to keep the community safe and this is the first grant of this type that we’ve ever been awarded and we’re looking forward to it being a great, successful thing,” Coon said.