Fire Rehab Staff Report
During this time of year, when people are turning up the heater, a spike in carbon monoxide deaths rears its ugly head. With many states' tempertatures dropping below freezing, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) are sounding the CO alarm.
"The U.S. Fire Administration is pleased to join with the CPSC in sounding a national carbon monoxide alarm," said Acting U.S. Fire Administrator Charlie Dickinson. "There is no group of men and women in this nation that are as keenly aware of the deadliness of carbon monoxide, than firefighters. During times of lost power, it is our nation's firefighters who respond to the sad results of carbon monoxide poisoning when people use gas generators, camp stoves and charcoal grills in confined spaces."
Now, to aid in educating the public, CPSC has produced a new television public service announcement (PSA) on CO hazards, which can be viewed at http://www.cpsc.gov/vnr/asfroot/copsa.mov. CPSC also has a radio PSA which can be downloaded at http://www.cpsc.gov/vnr/podcast/severeweatherpsa.mp3. These public service announcements were produced in conjunction with USFA.
Carbon monoxide is an odorless and colorless poisonous gas and the CPSC estimates about 140 people die each year from unintentional exposure to the toxic gas.
Most often, CO related deaths occur when gas generators, charcoal grills, and fuel-burning camping heaters and stoves are improperly used inside houses or in other enclosed or partially-enclosed spaces during power outages. Deaths may also occur when furnaces that have not been professionally and annually inspected leak CO.
