Maple Chase Recall Carbon Monoxide and Carbon Monoxide/Smoke Combo Alarms 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer products. Consumers should immediately contact the firm at 888-879-3906 to obtain further instruction on product replacement. Consumers are instructed not to take their product(s) out of service until they obtain their product replacement from the firm, and it has been installed.  (To access color photos of the following recalled products, see CPSC’s Web site at www.cpsc.gov.)

Name of Product:  Firex branded 10000 series carbon monoxide (CO) alarms and 12000 series smoke/CO combination alarms

Units:  About 277,000

Manufacturer:  Maple Chase Company of Plain City, OH

Hazard:  The alarms may go into a “double chirp” fault mode in the presence of CO prior to the unit going into full alarm mode. This early fault  presents a safety hazard if, consistent with the instruction of the Owner’s Manual, a consumer takes the alarm out of service once it is determined that pressing the reset button does not correct the fault. This creates the potential for the consumer to take the alarm out of service during a CO emergency.

Incidents/Injuries: There have been no incidents or injuries reported relating to the hazard.

Description:  This recall involves Firex branded 10000 and 12000 series alarms with item numbers:  10000, 12000, 12000C, 12000-6, 12200, 12220, 12400, and 12400C, manufactured between June 1, 2007 and February 1, 2008. Affected units can be identified by the date code, which appears on the back of the unit. The format of the date code is a four-digit year, three-digit month, followed by the day (e.g., 2007 JUN01 for units manufactured on June 1, 2007). Units with a manufacture date code prior to June 1, 2007 are not affected by this recall.

Sold at:  The majority of the units sold in the U.S. were to commercial electrical distributors who sold to electrical contractors and builders for installation into new home construction. A limited number of units were sold at retail at Menard’s and The Home Depot. All units sold in Canada were sold through commercial distribution.

Manufactured in:  Mexico

Remedy:  Consumers should contact Maple Chase immediately to receive a free comparable replacement alarm and make arrangements to return their affected alarm(s).

Consumer Contact:  For more information, contact Maple Chase toll-free at 888-879-3906 between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. CST Monday through Friday or go to the firm’s Web site at http://www.FirexSafety.com for more information.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risks of serious injury or death from more than 15,000 types of consumer products under the agency’s jurisdiction.  Deaths, injuries and property damage from consumer product incidents cost the nation more than $700 billion annually.  The CPSC is committed to protecting consumers and families from products that pose a fire, electrical, chemical, or mechanical hazard. The CPSC’s work to ensure the safety of consumer products - such as toys, cribs, power tools, cigarette lighters, and household chemicals – contributed significantly to the 30 percent decline in the rate of deaths and injuries associated with consumer products over the past 30 years.  To report a dangerous product or a product-related injury, call CPSC’s hotline at (800) 638-2772 or CPSC’s teletypewriter at (800) 638-8270 or visit CPSC’s Web site at www.cpsc.gov/talk.html. Consumers can obtain this release and recall information at CPSC’s Web site at www.cpsc.gov.