A mechanic in the Edmonton-area is using his free time to help protect people from carbon monoxide poisoning related to their vehicle exhausts.
Jake Ranger of Drayton Valley, Alberta is offering free exhaust inspections on weekends, after hearing the news of several deaths in the province involving people sitting in idling cars.
In late December, a faulty exhaust may have resulted in the deaths of two Drayton Valley teens and, last week, police in the northern Alberta town of Conklin found three people dead inside an idling car.
“I told him that there (were) three more kids that were found unconscious in a car and I thought maybe there’s something we could do,” Rhonda Ranger, Jake’s wife, told CTV Edmonton.
They decided to offer free exhaust inspections since, they say, a simple 10-minute checkup can reveal a problem that, once fixed, could save lives. Ranger checked six vehicles on Saturday and found issues on a couple of them.
“That’s (kind of) scary,” he said. “If I see corrosion anywhere it’s clamped together, I don't like that at all. That's a potential leak.”
Carbon monoxide is a colourless, ordourless gas that can be toxic in high concentrations. It can be found in the fumes from burning fuel in engines, fireplaces and furnaces.
“It pretty much makes you drowsy - puts you to sleep,” Ranger said of the silent killer.
While the RCMP hasn’t confirmed the deaths in Conklin are the result of carbon monoxide poisoning, the family of Tristan Dave-Lawrence, one of the victims, say the fumes are to blame.
“It does feel like she was taken from us,” said Emily Lawrence, Tristan’s cousin. “It's not something you would ever expect to happen.”
Emily is glad to see someone is taking the initiative after hearing about her cousin’s story.
“That's something that Tristan -- with her passing -- would have liked to see is people being more aware, and somebody taking the action to prevent something like this from happening,” she said. “I personally really like seeing that.”
With a report from CTV Edmonton’s Angela Jung
