HELENA — Montana is third in the country for deaths per capita due to carbon monoxide poisoning, but there are a few simple things you can do to protect yourself and your family from CO poisoning.
"We are all transitioning from summertime weather to wintertime to weather, so furnaces are starting to come on and people are starting to heat their houses that way," Helena Fire Department assistant chief Mike Chambers says. "I think a lot of folks forget to clean their chimneys if they use wood heat or forget to change the filters in their furnaces and just be aware of those changes in the season.”
Carbon monoxide is a toxic, colorless, odorless gas produced by burning gas and oil furnaces, water heaters, fireplaces, and wood and gas stoves. Infants, the elderly, and people with breathing problems are likelier to get sick from carbon monoxide.
There are ways to keep your loved ones safe, healthy, and warm.
“Just knowing your equipment in your home, making sure you clean your chimney, making sure that your furnace has been serviced and that it is having good airflow through your equipment is probably the best thing," Chambers says."If you rent do not be afraid to call your landlord and have them look at your equipment.”
Other tips include avoiding running engines in enclosed spaces and checking or installing detectors.
Carbon monoxide detectors are the only way to know if you are being exposed to carbon monoxide; however, only 27% of homes in the United States have carbon monoxide alarms according to the Centers for Disease Control.
“One of the things that we highly highly recommend is getting a carbon monoxide detector in your home to offset these issues because carbon monoxide is an odorless and colorless gas and can be lingering in your home for hours and hours and hours and you would never know it, so it is really important to start having a mind shift into the season," Chambers says.
The best places to install the detectors are near bedrooms, above garages, and in areas where heating appliances are. These detectors should be tested monthly and should be fully replaced every five years.
