Carbon Monoxide
Carbon monoxide (CO) is a clear, odorless gas produced by burning fuels like natural gas, propane, oil, wood, kerosene or charcoal. At
high levels, CO can kill a person in minutes. Fetuses, infants, older adults and people with anemia or a history of heart or respiratory
disease can be especially susceptible.
Common CO causes
Fuel-burning appliances that are not vented properly or that are used incorrectly including gas ranges/ovens, water heaters,
furnaces, clothes dryers, etc.
Gasoline-powered snow blowers, emergency generators, lawn mowers, etc.
Idling cars.
Charcoal or gas grills.
Symptoms of CO poisoning
Low levels of CO poisoning may cause shortness of breath, nausea or headaches.
Moderate levels can cause severe headaches, dizziness, confusion, nausea or fainting.
Moderate levels of exposure over a long period of time can cause death.
Be safe
If you think you have symptoms caused by CO poisoning:
Get fresh air immediately. Open doors and windows.
Call 911 if you have CO poisoning symptoms and seek medical attention. Typically, this means an emergency room visit.
Leave the house.
If no one has CO poisoning symptoms, call your gas company. There will probably be a fee to have a technician come to your home.
Take steps to prevent CO poisoning:
Have appliances or equipment that burn fuels such as natural gas, propane, oil or wood inspected by a trained professional at the
beginning of every heating season. This includes your furnace, water heater, range, oven, dryer, space heater and fireplace.
Purchase and install CO alarms that are Underwriters Laboratories (UL) approved. Do not use an alarm as a substitute for proper
use and maintenance of your appliances and equipment.
Make sure that the exhaust vents, flues and chimneys in your home are working properly.
Remember these important tips:
Don't use a gas oven to heat your home, even for a short time.
Don't use a charcoal grill indoors, even in a fireplace.
Don't ignore symptoms, especially if more than one person has them. If you do nothing, you could lose consciousness and die.
CO detectors
MFD recommends at least one CO alarm in every home. We prefer plug-in alarms rather than battery-operated models. No
battery changing is required.
Read the owner's manual and follow manufacturer's instructions.
Look for the UL label. Only buy an alarm that meets UL Standard 2034.
Install your detector on a wall near a sleeping area so you wake up if an alarm sounds.
Test the unit regularly. All units have a test button.
Important:
A CO alarm should never be a substitute for having your heating system serviced regularly.
Many of these symptoms are similar to those caused by the flu, food poisoning or other illnesses.
Source
What should you do if the CO detector alarm sounds?
First of all, never ignore an alarm and do not panic! Although exposure to high levels of CO over prolonged periods of time can be life-
threatening, a large number of instances that activate the CO alarm are not life-threatening and do not require calling 911. To
determine the need to call 911, ask the following question to everyone in the household.
Are you feeling sick and/or experiencing the "flu-like" symptoms of dizziness, nausea,
or headaches?
If
Yes:
Immediately evacuate the household to a safe location and call 911. The best initial treatment for CO exposure is fresh air
followed by treatment from a physician.
If
No:
The likelihood of a serious exposure is greatly reduced and calling 911 is not necessary at this time. Instead, turn off any gas
appliances or equipment and open doors and windows to help ventilate your home with fresh air from outside. After completing this,
occupants are urged to contact your local gas utility company
or a qualified heating and ventilating service contractor to inspect your
system for possible problems. Note: If at any time during this process someone in your household experiences "flu-like" symptoms,
immediately evacuate the home and call 911.
If you have question about CO Alarms and you live outside the Madison Fire Dept. Fire district please contact
Melissa Joyce Asst. Fire Marshal at her business email.
If you have question about CO Alarms and you live inside the Madison Fire Dept. Fire district please contact
The Madison Fire Dept at
- REFLECTIVE ADDRESS SIGNS
- BURNING PERMITS (outside the city)
- FIRE INCIDENT REPORTS - Email Chief J.Ritchey
- FIRE INSPECTIONS
- FIRE TRAINING - Email Asst. Chief P. Webster
- PUBLIC EDUCATION OUTREACH - Email Chief J.Ritchey
- SMOKE DETECTORS / ALARMS
- HYDRANT FLOW TEST DATA - Email Deputy Chief K. Hall
- KNOX BOX PURCHASING
What should you do if the CO detector
alarm sounds?
First of all, never ignore an alarm and do not panic! Although
exposure to high levels of CO over prolonged periods of time
can be life-threatening, a large number of instances that
activate the CO alarm are not life-threatening and do not
require calling 911. To determine the need to call 911, ask the
following question to everyone in the household.
Are you feeling sick and/or experiencing the "flu-like"
symptoms of dizziness, nausea, or headaches?
If YES: Immediately evacuate the household to a safe location
and call 911. The best initial treatment for CO exposure is
fresh air followed by treatment from a physician.
If NO: The likelihood of a serious exposure is greatly reduced
and calling 911 is not necessary at this time. Instead, turn off
any gas appliances or equipment and open doors and
windows to help ventilate your home with fresh air from
outside. After completing this, occupants are urged to contact
your local gas utility company or a qualified heating and
ventilating service contractor to inspect your system for
possible problems. Note: If at any time during this process
someone in your household experiences "flu-like" symptoms,
immediately evacuate the home and call 911.
Carbon Monoxide
Carbon monoxide (CO) is a clear, odorless gas produced by
burning fuels like natural gas, propane, oil, wood, kerosene or
charcoal. At high levels, CO can kill a person in minutes.
Fetuses, infants, older adults and people with anemia or a
history of heart or respiratory disease can be especially
susceptible.
Common CO causes
Fuel-burning appliances that are not vented properly or
that are used incorrectly including gas ranges/ovens,
water heaters, furnaces, clothes dryers, etc.
Gasoline-powered snow blowers, emergency generators,
lawn mowers, etc.
Idling cars.
Charcoal or gas grills.
Symptoms of CO poisoning
Low levels of CO poisoning may cause shortness of
breath, nausea or headaches.
Moderate levels can cause severe headaches, dizziness,
confusion, nausea or fainting.
Moderate levels of exposure over a long period of time
can cause death.
Many of these symptoms are similar to those caused by
the flu, food poisoning or other illnesses.
Be safe
If you think you have symptoms caused by CO poisoning:
Get fresh air immediately. Open doors and windows.
Call 911 if you have CO poisoning symptoms and seek
medical attention. Typically, this means an emergency
room visit.
Leave the house.
If no one has CO poisoning symptoms, call your gas
company. There will probably be a fee to have a
technician come to your home.
Take steps to prevent CO poisoning:
Have appliances or equipment that burn fuels such as
natural gas, propane, oil or wood inspected by a trained
professional at the beginning of every heating season.
This includes your furnace, water heater, range, oven,
dryer, space heater and fireplace.
Purchase and install CO alarms that are Underwriters
Laboratories (UL) approved. Do not use an alarm as a
substitute for proper use and maintenance of your
appliances and equipment.
Make sure that the exhaust vents, flues and chimneys in
your home are working properly.
Remember these important tips:
Don't use a gas oven to heat your home, even for a
short time.
Don't use a charcoal grill indoors, even in a fireplace.
Don't ignore symptoms, especially if more than one
person has them. If you do nothing, you could lose
consciousness and die.
CO detectors
MFD recommends at least one CO alarm in every home. We
prefer plug-in alarms rather than battery-operated models.
No battery changing is required.
Read the owner's manual and follow manufacturer's
instructions.
Look for the UL label. Only buy an alarm that meets
UL Standard 2034.
Install your detector on a wall near a sleeping area so
you wake up if an alarm sounds.
Test the unit regularly. All units have a test button.
Important:
A CO alarm should never be a substitute for
having your heating system serviced regularly.
If you have question about CO Alarms and you live outside the
Madison Fire Dept. Fire district please contact
Melissa Joyce Asst. Fire Marshal at her business email.
If you have question about CO Alarms and you live inside the
Madison Fire Dept. Fire district please contact
The Madison Fire Dept at
Source
