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Tips to Prevent Carbon Monoxide Poisoning during the Cold New England Winter

/by American Alarm Blogging Team

Often called the “silent killer,” carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless gas that can be fatal in high concentrations. Every year, more than 400 people in the United States die from accidental non-fire related CO poisoning, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Carbon monoxide is a byproduct of burning oil, gas, wood, coal, pellets and kerosene. The only way to tell that carbon monoxide is present is to have a working CO alarm. At lower concentrations, victims may experience such symptoms as a headache, dizziness, weakness, nausea, vomiting, chest pain and confusion.

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6 Spring Cleaning Tips to Make Your Home Safer and Healthier

/1 Comment/by American Alarm Blogging Team

6 Spring Cleaning Tips to Make Your Home Safer and HealthierAfter a cold and snowy – OK, very snowy – New England winter, spring is the perfect time to roll up your sleeves and give your home a top-to-bottom cleaning to get it ready for summer entertaining. In addition to spiffing up your house, there are some things you can do during your spring cleaning to make your house healthier while promoting home safety.

Here are six spring cleaning tips to get you started, courtesy of MedicineNet:

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Three Winter Heating Safety Tips

/1 Comment/by American Alarm Blogging Team

winter-heating-safety-tipsEven though you might be doing your best not to think about it, we’re in the trenches of autumn and even colder weather is right around the corner. For those of us living in New England, that means soon it will be time to turn up the thermostat and kick on the home heating system for the first time since the Spring.

Many homes across America are equipped with oil-burning furnaces or wood-burning stoves, each of which come with their own specific set of safety concerns that should be dealt with on a yearly basis. Let’s take a look at a three of the things you should keep in mind before firing things up this winter.

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New England Winter Heating Dangers

/1 Comment/by American Alarm Blogging Team

Now that we’re right in the middle of the winter heating season, you have to be sure you’re heating your home or business with safety in mind.

Each year the Massachusetts Office of Public Safety has a Keep Warm, Keep Safe This Winter campaign to remind people about the dangers of winter heating.

fireIt’s no wonder the office considers this campaign a yearly necessity since heating has been the source of over 14,000 fires the last five years and it’s the number two reason for Massachusetts home fires, according to Mass.gov. Read more →

After Hurricane Sandy: Risk of Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Rises

/by American Alarm Blogging Team

Although Hurricane Sandy may have lost some of its punch, its aftermath will be felt for some time to come.

On Monday, Hurricane Sandy wreaked havoc across the Northeast, with 85 mph winds, massive amounts of stinging rain and expansive flooding.

At 8 a.m. Tuesday morning, The Weather Channel reported that eight million people were without power. By the time the storm is over more than 60 million people could be affected by power outages, according to ABC News.

If you lose power and you’re using a portable gas generator, take precautions because using gas-powered equipment improperly can lead to carbon monoxide poisoning, warns the American Association of Poison Control Centers.

Widespread power outages produce a surge of alternative power/heating device usage, including generators, gas stoves, and charcoal or gas grills. Carbon monoxide (CO) production occurs any time fuels (oil, gas, kerosene, wood, propane and charcoal) are burned.

Enclosed spaces allow CO to build up quickly to dangerously high levels. You can’t see, taste or smell carbon monoxide, and it can cause life-threatening symptoms quickly in people. Even at moderate levels CO exposure can cause headaches, dizziness, confusion, fatigue and nausea. CO is called the “silent killer” because there are no odors and few symptoms that signal problems. People who are sleeping may never become aware of their symptoms and may pass away from carbon monoxide poisoning.

For those not affected by Hurricane Sandy, carbon monoxide poisoning is still an issue, particularly as we head into the heating season, and people face other circumstances requiring alternative heating sources. While CO poisoning cases increase following severe weather events, it still remains the most common cause of poisoning deaths in the United States.

The best way way to protect your family is with a monitored carbon monoxide detector. Watch this video for other top tips to keep your family safe from carbon monoxide poisoning.

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Top Five Ways to Protect Your Family From Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

/1 Comment/by American Alarm Blogging Team

Do you know that carbon monoxide is the most common cause of poisoning deaths in the United States? The fact is more carbon monoxide poisonings occur in the month of January than at any other time of the year. Did you also know, the best way to protect your family is with a carbon monoxide detector? Check out the video below to learn the top five ways to protect your family from this colorless, odorless, silent killer.

To learn more, read our November blog post on how to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning.

Carbon Monoxide Poisoning is a Serious Risk—Is Your Family Protected?

/1 Comment/by American Alarm Blogging Team

carbon monoxide poisoningAutumn in New England comes with many pleasant sights but this year it brings a snowy Nor’easter that knocked out power to more than 3 million homes and businesses across the Northeast on Saturday.  When the cold arrives each year and especially during power outages, there also comes a hidden danger. Often called the silent killer, as described in our recent news alert, carbon monoxide, or “CO” is a colorless, odorless gas that can be fatal in high concentrations. CO is produced by the burning of oil, natural gas, propane, wood, coal, kerosene and wood pellets—so as we enter the home heating season, it’s something we all need to be aware of. Read more →