With the New Year upon us, many people, including me, are happy to say good riddance to 2020! Moving forward, the Lady Lake Police Department would like to remind you to check around your home to ensure that all alarms, monitors, and detectors are in good working condition. These include your smoke detector and carbon monoxide detector. It’s a good idea to change the batteries in these detectors every year. You may want to have them replaced if you have not done so within the past 10 years.
It should come as no surprise that carbon monoxide deaths are the highest in winter. Cold weather increases the use of gas-powered heating or portable heaters using a fuel source. Homeowners should be aware of the symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning, especially those that use natural gas as a heat and cooking source. These symptoms include feeling dizzy, light headed, and/or nauseated.
It’s a good time to remember the following safety tips to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning. Here are some tips from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):
- Have your heating system, water heater and any other gas, oil or coal-burning appliance inspected and serviced by a qualified technician every year.
- Install battery-operated carbon monoxide detectors on every level of your home.
- Don’t use a generator, charcoal grill, camp stove or other gasoline or charcoal-burning device inside the home, garage or outside the home near a window.
- Don’t burn anything in an unvented stove or fireplace.
- Turning on an oven whether gas or not is not safe.
- Use electric space heaters with automatic shut-off switches and non-glowing elements. Make sure to keep them away from any flammable materials, like curtains or blankets. Never leave children unattended near a space heater. Check the cords on the heater to make sure that they are not damaged.
- Check with your local fire department if you want to use a space heater that uses a fuel source such as kerosene.
- Don’t let a vehicle idle inside a garage attached to a house, even if the garage door is left open. Carbon monoxide will build up and will put you at risk of serious illness or even death.
If a carbon monoxide detector sounds, leave your home immediately and call 911 from outside. Seek prompt medical attention if you suspect carbon monoxide poisoning and if you or someone in your household is feeling dizzy, light-headed or nauseated. The same goes for a smoke detector. Your safety is more valuable than any property.
