With cold weather approaching, Ipswich Fire would like to remind residents of carbon monoxide safety tips.
Carbon monoxide (CO), known as the “invisible killer,” is an odorless, colorless, tasteless, and poisonous gas produced when any fuel — gas, oil, kerosene, wood, etc. — is burned. Exposure to CO can cause CO poisoning, which can cause loss of consciousness and ultimately death at high levels of exposure.
All homes should have CO alarms. If a CO alarm goes off in your home, all residents should leave the house immediately and call 911 from outside or from a neighbor’s house.
According to the U.S. Fire Administration and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), more than 150 Americans die each year due to unintentional carbon monoxide poisoning.
Ipswich Fire would like to share the following safety tips from the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and FEMA:
- CO 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. Choose a CO alarm that is listed by a qualified testing laboratory.
- Test CO alarms at least once a month; replace them according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
- If the audible trouble signal sounds, check for low batteries. If the battery is low, replace it. If it still sounds, call the fire department.
- If the CO alarm sounds, evacuate immediately. Make sure everyone inside the home is accounted for. Call for help from a fresh air location and stay there until emergency personnel declare that it’s 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.
- Winter months mean blocked vents/chimneys blocked with snow, increased use of wood stoves and heating appliances, and houses that are closed up tight. During and after a snowstorm, ensure vents for the dryer, furnace, stove, and fireplace are clear of snow build-up.
