The High River Fire Department is stressing the importance of a carbon monoxide detector to go with smoke detectors in your home.

Fire Prevention Officer Clayton Rutberg says you'll need more than one.

"You should a CO detector on every level of your home and outside of each sleeping area. So, if your furnace is in your basement you should make sure you have a CO detector there, and if you're sleeping upstairs you should have a CO detector somewhere close by where you can hear it."

Rutberg says ideally, you'll want to put a CO detector inside each bedroom, because he recommends you sleep with your bedroom door closed, which is a big life saver in case of fire.

He says all new homes will have combined units, while older homes or rentals may not have them, but they're vital in case of a leak from appliances like furnaces, hot water heaters or gas stoves.