This week is fire prevention week which aims to educate the public on simple and important safety measures they can take to be fire safe. Often called the invisible killer, carbon monoxide is an invisible, odorless, and colorless gas created when fuels burn incompletely. In the home, your heating and cooking equipment is often a source of carbon monoxide. Ernest Figueroa has these carbon monoxide safety tips…
Carbon monoxide alarms should be installed in a central location outside each sleeping area and on every level of the home and in other locations where required by applicable laws, codes or standards. For the best protection, interconnect all CO alarms throughout the home. When one sounds, they all sound. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for placement and mounting height. If the CO alarm sounds, immediately move to a fresh air location outdoors or by an open window or door. Make sure everyone inside the home is accounted for. Call for help from a fresh air location and stay there until emergency personnel declares that it is safe to re-enter the home. If you need to warm a vehicle, remove it from the garage immediately after starting it. Do not run a vehicle 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. A generator should be used in a well-ventilated location outdoors away from windows, doors and vent openings.
