By: Laura Steiner
This week is Carbon Monoxide (CO) Awareness week, running from today (November 1) until November 7.
Carbon Monoxide is a substance produced when fuels including propane, gasoline, natural gas, heating oil or wood don’t completely burn. The fuels are used in appliances including:
- Furnaces
- Hot water heaters
- Gas/Wood fireplaces or stoves
- Heaters/generators,
- Barbeques
- Vehicles
The Milton Fire Department has shared the following tips:
- Inspect fuel-burning appliances, chimneys and vents on a yearly basis
- Use barbecues only outside
- Install CO Alarms adjacent to each sleeping area
- Check heaters are properly vented
- Never run vehicles or motors inside a garage even if the door is open, and remove vehicles from the garage once they are started
How Do I know what a CO alarm sounds like?
- Test both smoke, and CO alarms on a monthly basis in order be sure your home’s occupants know the difference between them, and how they sound.
- Consult the manufacturers’ instructions as to what the difference is between the warnings for end-of-life and low-battery.
What are the symptoms of CO?
- Carbon Monoxide exposure can cause symptoms mimicking the flu such as headaches, nausea, dizziness, drowsiness, loss of consciousness and death.
- If the CO alarm goes, and the home’s occupants are suffering from CO exposure, leave the house immediately.
- Check the battery if the alarm sounds, and none of the occupants are showing symptoms of exposure.
For more tips visit the Milton Fire Department’s website, and COsafety.ca