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Carbon Monoxide Detectors
Carbon Monoxide detectors are as important a life-saving device as smoke detectors. No home should be without one.
Carbon Monoxide (CO) is a colorless, odorless and tasteless gas that is emitted from incomplete burning. When materials, fuels, or gases burn, they leave behind certain by-products. One of the remaining by-products is a gas called carbon monoxide. As a gas, it is not detectable by our normal senses. It is absorbed, however, by the body's blood stream and can have devastating toxic effects. Carbon monoxide enters the blood stream through the lungs, displaces the oxygen, and can actually suffocate you from the inside, resulting in brain damage or death. Carbon monoxide is the leading cause of accidental deaths by poisoning. It is responsible for 1500 deaths and 10,000 illnesses per year (not including suicide attempts by carbon monoxide poisonings). 25% of carbon monoxide poisonings are misdiagnosed as flu like illnesses. The body can not build up immunity to it. It takes twice as long to exit the body as it does to enter. At greatest risk to this deadly gas are unborn babies, infants, and senior citizens.
Some of the most common hidden sources of carbon monoxide are malfunctioning or improperly installed and vented: gas ranges, furnaces, gas water heaters, and gas burning appliances. Grills, fireplaces, wood-burning stoves and anything else producing an open flame can also be a source if not properly vented. Automobiles, lawnmowers, generators, and other internal combustion engines are also a major source, especially if run in the garage, or even outside if a strong wind is blowing the exhaust back into the garage or structure.
Effects of CO
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Slight headache, nausea, vomiting, fatigue
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Severe headache, drowsiness, confusion, fast heart rate
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Unconsciousness, convulsions, death
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There are various makes and models of CO detectors. See your local dealer for choices appropriate for your home. The Consumer Product Safety Commission recommends a CO detector on each floor of a residence. At a minimum, a single detector should be placed on each sleeping floor. ALWAYS consult the manufacturer's installation instructions.
If you have a CO detector alarm, call 911 and have the Fire Department come out to investigate. The fire department can check your residence for problems with special monitoring equipment. It is important to note whether anyone is feeling ill when you call, as you will be asked. It is helpful to read your CO detector’s manual when installing it, so you will know the difference between the low battery alarm and an actual emergency alarm. If in doubt, call 911. Remember, you can’t detect the gas with your normal senses.
For more information, contact the Lenexa Fire Department at 913-888-6380
Smoke Detectors
Smoke detectors are a must in every home. The majority of fatal house fires occur at night while occupants are sleeping. Occupants are often overcome by toxic smoke and gases before they ever realize there is a problem. A properly working smoke detector can give that early warning which can often make the difference between safety and disaster.
At a minimum, there should be a smoke detector on every level of the home including the basement and also outside all sleeping areas. It is a good idea to have one in every bedroom, major hallway, and living space as well.
Detectors come in various types. Some simply require batteries. Others require an electrician to wire it into the home’s electric service. These often have battery backups. One of the key benefits to the wired detectors is that they can be wired together so that if one sounds, then all detectors sound. Home fire alarm systems can also be purchased which are monitored by a service operator (for a fee) that will summon the fire department automatically in the event of an alarm.
Detectors can be purchased with several detecting methods. These are “ionization”, “photoelectric”, or a combination of the both. The combination style is recommended as it incorporates the best of both features. Contact your local dealer for more assistance in picking the right detector for you.
If your detector sounds an alarm, call 911 for a Fire Department response. It is helpful to know the difference between your alarm’s low battery warning and an actual emergency alarm. This can be learned by reading the manual accompanying your detector at purchase. The manual will also detail the routine maintenance which can keep your detector functioning properly. Smoke detectors do have a functional lifespan and should be replaced when that time is up. Your manual will have that information.
The Fire Department recommends that you change the batteries in all of your smoke detectors semi-annually. An easy way to remember this is to coincide this with daylight savings time. Change your clocks, change your batteries.
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