SCUF reminds residents to have working CO alarms in the home
Carbon Monoxide is a silent killer
by Sublette County Unified Fire
January 13, 2020
On Wednesday January 8, 2020, Sublette County Unified Fire was dispatched to a Carbon Monoxide (CO) incident in Pinedale. Firefighters from Battalion 1 responded to the home where a family, including three young children, were found waiting outside. The family explained the Carbon Monoxide Alarm that was recently installed in the kitchen area had activated with a loud alarm. Firefighters investigated the home and discovered high levels of Carbon Monoxide coming from the stove top, possibly due to incomplete combustion. Firefighters advised the homeowners not to use the stove top until it could be checked by a professional. Sublette County EMS checked the family members for possible Carbon Monoxide exposure to be sure everyone was safe. The family did the right thing by going outside immediately and calling 911.
SCUF would like to remind residents to have working CO alarms in their homes on every level and outside each separate sleeping area. CO alarms are designed to alarm before potentially life-threatening levels of carbon monoxide are reached. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 400 people die each year in the United States from Carbon Monoxide poisoning. Proper installation, operation, and maintenance of fuel-burning appliances in the home is the most important factor in reducing the risk of CO poisoning. At low levels, CO poisoning symptoms can include dizziness, headache or flu-like symptoms. At high levels, victims can have mental confusion, vomiting, and they can even die. At extremely high levels, it is possible to lose consciousness suddenly without experiencing less severe symptoms.
Additional Information: Usually our recommendation is to have the residents enlist the help of a professional appliance service technician to evaluate and ensure the appliance is in proper working order. Early detection of CO is key. Without these detectors you would be unaware of the dangerous gas in the event an appliance is malfunctioning. If anyone would like more information regarding carbon monoxide detector use, installation or the SCUF smoke detector program feel free to contact the SCUF office in Pinedale at 307-367-4550.
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