Like many area fire departments in the past few weeks, the Bessemer City FD and Forest Service recently visited with local elementary students to help them better understand their role in preventing fires. Smokey Bear came along, too, to demonstrate proper techniques for putting out campfires and to share information about forest fires. (And to get enough bear hugs to last him through the winter, of course!)

As in previous years, I was impressed with the level of preparation and pre-work that the teachers at Washington Elementary had provided their students. Pre-Kindergarten kids already knew how to Stop, Drop, and Roll, and nearly every student knew the “meeting place” outside the school in case of an emergency (about half have a meeting place at home – do you?). And while their house numbers sometimes eluded them, most children knew the name of the street on which they live and that they should get OUT of their house first, then call 9-1-1. When it comes to fire safety, our parents and teachers are clearly doing a good job!

Hidden Danger
Home safety was also the focus at the Bessemer Ranger District monthly safety meeting, a 30-minute or so presentation by a District employee on the safety topic of their choice. But our discussion covered a critical element that doesn’t seem to get as much attention as fire prevention: carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning.

Carbon monoxide is a by-product of combustion, from engines, furnaces, wood stoves, and similar. It is odorless and colorless, and deadly. CO poisoning can happen in a matter of minutes and is responsible for more deaths than any other poison. If the victim lives, he/she may suffer permanent neurological dysfunction.

Most victims don’t even realize what’s happening. Other than fumes from whatever may be burning – gasoline exhaust, for example – carbon monoxide can’t be detected by people. The early warning signs of carbon monoxide poisoning are headache, nausea, joint pain, and light-headedness – hardly worth mentioning to a friend or family member. Unfortunately, the greater the exposure, the more likelihood the primary symptom is fatigue. That means the greater the level of carbon monoxide, the greater the chance the victim will simply want to sleep. If no one intervenes or discovers them in time, their ‘nap’ might be forever.

When the burning “fuel” is a sofa, carpeting, or other household items in a house fire, an undetected fire is likely to cause extreme drowsiness and to interfere with the ability to make good decisions. The rather grim statistics get worse if a house fire occurs at night, when occupants are already asleep. Many victims of structure fires die because the rising level of carbon monoxide means they can’t wake up, even though their smoke detector eventually emits an alarm.

Get a Detector (and other tips)
Smoke detectors detect smoke but, as a general rule, they don’t detect carbon monoxide. Only carbon monoxide detectors do that. They cost just a few bucks; local businesses sell them for about $20. Even in today’s economy, that’s a cheap investment to safeguard the lives of your loved ones.

Carbon monoxide poisoning may be more common than you think. At our meeting, more than half of the sixteen Bessemer District employees knew someone that had been overcome by this deadly gas. One co-worker relayed the story of his mother-in-law rescued by her sister, but only after finally, and fuzzily, realizing something was terribly wrong. Another stated finding his young daughter unconscious in her basement bedroom the first cold night of the year – the first night they had turned on the furnace. Still another mentioned a friend not making it out.

I had not expected the high frequency of this problem amongst people I knew. This is obviously not something that happens to other people; this is something that can happen to you, or to me. In addition to installing a CO detector in your home, I found the following tips to prevent a tragedy:

* Have flues and chimneys checked annually for blockages. Some of our local fire departments do this for free and usually in the fall. Call today.
* Have a trained professional check your fuel-burning appliances, such as oil and gas furnaces, gas water heaters, gas ranges and ovens, gas dryers, gas or kerosene space heaters, fire places and wood stoves. The best time is NOW, just before you start using them.
* Install and maintain appliances according to the manufacturers' instructions.
* Never idle the car in the garage, even if the garage door is open; CO can build up quickly, contaminating the air in the garage and in your house.
* Never use a gas oven to heat your home, even for a short time.
* Never use a charcoal grill indoors.
* Never sleep in a room heated by a gas or kerosene space heater that doesn’t have proper venting.
* Never use or run a gas-powered engine, such as a mower, weed trimmer, snow blower, chainsaw, small engine, or generator, in an enclosed space.
* Never use a portable generator indoors. When portable generators are placed in areas such as garages, sheds, or small enclosed spaces, the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning increases threefold.
* Install carbon monoxide detectors in your recreational vehicle, camper, or motor home.
* For more information on carbon monoxide: www.carbon-monoxide-poisoning.com

I realize this isn’t a normal topic for this column but Smokey and I thought you should know about the dangers of carbon monoxide. Only YOU can prevent carbon monoxide poisoning.