Poll: Do you have a working carbon monoxide alarm on each level of your home?
Options:
- I have a working CO alarm on each level, and I test them monthly
- I have a CO alarm on each level and will start testing them monthly
- I have one or more CO alarms, but not on each level
- I don’t have any CO alarms, but I will get them soon
- Other (please comment below)
Description: You hear a lot about smoke alarms, but what about CO alarms? Why do you need a CO alarm too? Often called the “invisible killer,” carbon monoxide (CO) is an invisible, odorless, colorless gas created when fuels (such as gasoline, wood, coal, natural gas, propane, oil, and methane) burn incompletely. In the US alone, 435 people died from CO poisoning in 2018, a number that has been relatively consistent since 1999. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), ➡️ https://bit.ly/NFPAgeneratorsnd portable generators are the leading product involved in CO incidents, followed by heating equipment ➡️ https://bit.ly/NFPAheatingsafetynd. Carbon monoxide displaces the oxygen in your lungs, poisoning your respiratory and other body systems. Because CO is odorless, colorless, and otherwise undetectable to the human senses, people often don’t realize they are exposed to this dangerous gas. People can be sickened by low levels of CO over time or be poisoned/die from high levels of exposure in a short period of time. The initial low to moderate CO poisoning symptoms are similar to the flu (but without the fever).
They include:
⚠️ Headache
⚠️ Fatigue
⚠️ Shortness of breath
⚠️ Nausea
⚠️ Dizziness
High-level CO poisoning results in progressively more severe symptoms, including:
⚠️ Headaches/Mental confusion
⚠️ Nausea/Vomiting
⚠️ Loss of muscular coordination
⚠️ Drowsiness/Loss of consciousness
⚠️ Ultimately death
All homes, including RVs, should have a CO alarm on each level of the home, placed away from an open window or vent. CO alarms can be hardwired along with your smoke alarm, battery-operated, or a wall unit plugged in with battery backup. A CO alarm will repeatedly beep four times in a row when detecting CO. If the CO alarm sounds, immediately move to a fresh air location outdoors or by an open window or door if you can’t get out. Make sure everyone inside the home is accounted for. Call for help (911) from a fresh air location and stay there until emergency personnel tells you it is safe to re-enter the home. If your alarm makes a chirping sound every 30-60 seconds, it is time for a new battery or alarm if it’s over ten years old.
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