CO Poisoning—

Fire Marshal Urges Heating System Safety Measures

By Andrew Gorosko

In view of a case of carbon monoxide poisoning that occurred at a Sandy Hook home early on the morning of Thursday, November 3, the fire marshal is urging that residents make sure that their heating equipment is in good working order, and that their smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors are functional.

At about 4 am, Sandy Hook firefighters received a call for help from the Warner-Crouch residence at 77 Riverside Road, after a carbon monoxide detector there had sounded, signaling a build-up of the colorless, odorless, highly poisonous gas inside the single-family house, said Fire Marshal Bill Halstead, who also is the Sandy Hook fire chief.

Carbon monoxide, also known as CO, is a byproduct of combustion that is generated by heating devices. If heating devices malfunction, CO can concentrate within a building, posing toxic conditions that can lead to serious injury or death.

There were two adults and four children inside the Riverside Road house when the alarm sounded, said Chief Halstead. The CO problem caused hazy conditions inside the building.

An unidentified youth in the house, who was overcome by the CO, had been brought to a relative’s home on Walnut Tree Hill Road, the fire chief said. Firefighters dispatched an ambulance to that residence where ambulance staffers checked the youth’s condition, Chief Halstead added. The youth was not transported to the hospital, he said.

A CO buildup occurred in the Riverside Road home due to a malfunctioning heating system, according to the fire marshal. A flue pipe, which links an oil-fired furnace to the chimney, had become blocked with soot, creating a ventilation problem in the home that led to the CO build-up, he said.

On arriving at the home, firefighters detected extremely high CO levels, he said. They shut down the furnace and then used high-powered fans to exhaust the CO from the building.

A furnace maintenance crew was called in to fix the heating system problem, Chief Halstead said.

To prevent potential tragedies, Chief Halstead urged that residents be certain that their heating equipment is in good working order. Also, CO detectors and smoke detectors that are battery-powered should have fresh batteries installed and be tested. Detectors that operate on domestic electric current also should be tested.