NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — As unlikely as it may seem, carbon monoxide detectors are not required in all Tennessee daycares. Some daycares have been left out of the rules. But that might not be the case for much longer.
I brought a loophole to light a few weeks ago after babies were hospitalized for carbon monoxide poisoning at their daycare.
I realized that Tennessee only requires that certain daycares have CO alarms.
The rules are confusing and based on things like the age of the daycare, the age and number of children, and the type of equipment, according to the State Fire Marshal's office.
"This is a huge blind spot for Tennessee," said Haley Montgomery.
Montgomery's infant daughter Grayton was one of several babies hospitalized after a dangerous carbon monoxide leak at Elm Hill Academy in Donelson. The baby girl had to spend hours in the hospital, and she's been back a couple of times since.
"She tested for over double what they recommend in the body even for an adult," Montgomery told me just a few days after her daughter was exposed.
The story got State Rep. Darren Jernigan's attention.
"When I saw the story I turned to my wife and I said do you believe this? And she was like no," Rep. Darren Jernigan said.
Now, Rep. Jernigan is sponsoring HB 1969 which would mandate CO monitors in every daycare room where children are present.
"It just never dawned on me that something so easily fixed or detectable — especially at a low cost — was out there as a loophole. So, I think we can close that up pretty quick," he said.
Under the proposal, daycares could install carbon monoxide monitors wired to the building's power supply, battery-operated alarms that plug into an outlet, or a combination of smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.
A law firm has started speaking to parents whose children may have been exposed to carbon monoxide at the daycare.
Fostering Hope provides Christmas for kids in foster care. I'm delighted to see Fostering Hope expand this year to expand their reach to now include kids in Foster care in metro AND foster kids in East TN hard hit by Helene.
-Bree Smith
