Fire Marshal Offers Carbon Monoxide Safety Tips

Fire Marshal Bill Halstead is offering the public some safety tips on how to avoid the prospect of carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning in the home.

CO is a colorless, odorless, invisible, highly poisonous gas that is a byproduct of combustion. Inhaling too much CO results in dizziness, fatigue, headaches, and breathing problems.

CO inhalation results in 5,000 people visiting hospital emergency rooms annually for treatment. CO poisoning kills more than 150 people in the United States each year.

Potential sources of CO in the home include fuel-burning appliances such as furnaces, hot water heaters, and stoves. Chimneys, flues, or vents that are blocked by creosote or debris can cause CO problems. Also, loose or disconnected high-temperature plastic vents, which are separated or cracked, can pose CO problems.

Combustion, which occurs without sufficient fresh air present, can pose CO problems.

CO problems may occur with the burning of kerosene, heating oil, coal, natural gas, propane, and wood.

Charcoal grills should never be used indoors, or used in an enclosed space such as a tent, garage, vehicle, or shed.

Grills that still contain hot coals after use should never be brought indoors. Charcoal grills should never be used as a heat source.

Mr Halstead urges that residents schedule annual inspections of their home’s fuel-burning appliances. All potential sources of CO should be checked for possible leakage and for adequate ventilation. Vents and chimneys should be checked for the presence of birds’ nests, animals, and insects.

The fire marshal urges that residents install CO detectors that meet the current standards of Underwriters Laboratories, Inc.