Safety Article

BEAR VALLEY FIRE DEPARTMENTS JOIN NFPA TO REMIND PUBLIC THAT EXPOSURE TO CARBON MONOXIDE CAN BE DEADLY

 Citing a research report looking at non-fire carbon monoxide (CO) incidents, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and Bear Valley Fire Departments are reminding the public to be aware of the risks associated with the exposure to carbon monoxide and providing tips to help people take steps to avoid unsafe levels of this colorless, odorless, toxic gas.

Nationally, fire departments responded to an estimated 61,100 carbon monoxide incidents in 2005, an 18 percent increase over 2003, according to NFPA’s report Non-Fire Carbon Monoxide Incidents in 2005.  The increase in incidents is believed to be due in part to an increase in reporting and recording of such incidents as more people install equipment that warns of unsafe levels of the gas.  The report also found nearly 90 percent of all non-fire carbon monoxide incidents reported to fire departments during that year occurred in homes.

 “Installing an alarm to warn of unsafe levels of carbon monoxide in your home is especially important because this colorless, odorless gas is toxic,” said Lorraine Carli, NFPA’s vice president of communications.  “Physical symptoms can sometime mirror other illnesses.  You might think you have the flu and go to bed, not knowing your house is filling with poisonous gas that could kill you.  A few precautions can save lives.”

 The following safety tips are suggested to help reduce the likelihood of carbon monoxide poisoning:

 Inside the home

• Install carbon monoxide alarms (listed by a nationally recognized independent testing laboratory) inside your home to provide early warning of accumulating CO.  CO alarms should be installed in a central location outside each separate sleeping area.  If bedrooms are spaced apart, each area should have a CO alarm.
• Test CO alarms at least once a month and replace CO alarms according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
• CO alarms are not substitutes for smoke alarms.  Know the difference between the sound of smoke alarms and CO alarms.
• Have fuel-burning heating equipment (fireplaces, furnaces, water heaters, wood-burning stoves, etc) and chimneys inspected by a professional every year before cold weather sets in.
• When purchasing new heating and cooking equipment, select products tested and labeled by a nationally recognized testing laboratory.
• When using a fireplace, open the flue for adequate ventilation.
• Never use your oven to heat your home.
• When buying an existing home, have a qualified technician evaluate the integrity of the heating and cooking systems, as well as the sealed spaces between the garage and house.

 Outside the home

• If you need to warm a vehicle, remove it from the garage immediately after starting it.  Do not run a vehicle, generator, or other fueled engine or motor indoors, even if garage doors are open.  Make sure the exhaust pipe of a running vehicle is not covered with snow.
• Generators should be operated in well ventilated locations outdoors away from all doors, windows, and vent openings.
• During and after a snowstorm, make sure vents for the dryer, furnace, stove, and fireplace are clear of snow build-up.
• Only use barbecue grills – which can produce CO – outside.  Never use them in the home, garage, or near building openings.

If your CO alarm sounds

• Immediately move to a fresh air location outdoors or by an open window or door.  Call for help from a fresh air location.  Remain at a fresh air location until emergency personnel arrive to assist you.
• If the audible trouble signal sounds, check for low batteries or other trouble indicators.

For more information about carbon monoxide poisoning, contact Big Bear City Fire Department, 585-2362; Big Bear Lake Fire Department, 866-7566, or San Bernardino County Fire Department - Fawnskin, 866-4878.

Source: National Fire Protection Association