3. Feel doors with the back of your hand before opening them.
4. If a door is cool, open it slowly. Don’t open a hot door. Keep doors and windows
closed, unless you must escape through them.
5. Cover your nose and mouth with a cloth (preferably damp).
6. Take short, shallow breaths.
7. Meet at your planned meeting place outside your home, and do a head count to
make sure everybody got out safely.
8. Call the Fire Department as soon as possible from outside. Give your address,
then your name.
9. Never go back inside a burning building for any reason.
10. Contact your Fire Department for ideas on making your home safer.
1. Keep calm and immediately move to fresh air. Open all doors and windows to
increase the rate of ventilation. Stop using all fuel-burning appliances and ensure,
if possible, that they are turned off, e.g. for gas appliances, isolate the emergency
ontrol valve.
2. If the alarm continues to be activated, then evacuate the premises. Leave the
doors and windows open, and only re-enter the building when the alarm has
stopped. In multi-occupancy and multi-storey premises, ensure that all the
occupants are alerted to the risk.
3. Get medical help for anyone suffering the effects of carbon monoxide poisoning,
and advise that carbon monoxide inhalation is suspected.
4. Telephone the appropriate appliance servicing and/or maintenance agency or,
when necessary, the relevant fuel supplier on their emergency number or the
national Gas Emergency Service Provider, if appropriate, so that the source of
carbon monoxide emissions can be identified and corrected. Unless the reason
for the alarm is obviously spurious, do not use the fuel-burning appliances
again,until they have been checked and cleared for use by a competent
person according to national regulations.
CO cannot be seen, smelled or tasted and can be fatal. The build-up of CO in the
blood is called the carboxyhemoglobin (COHb) level and interferes with the
body’s ability to supply itself with oxygen. Depending on the concentration, CO
can kill in minutes. The most common sources of CO are malfunctioning gas
appliance used for heating and cooking, vehicles running in an attached garage,
blocked chimneys or flues, portable fuel burning heaters, fireplaces, fuel powered
tools and operating a grill in an enclosed space.
Indications of carbon monoxide poisoning include symptoms similar to the flu,
but with no fever. Other symptoms include dizziness, fatigue, weakness,
headache, nausea, vomiting, sleepiness and confusion. Everyone is susceptible to
the danger of CO, but experts agree that unborn babies, small children, pregnant
women, senior citizens and people with heart or respiratory problems are at the
highest risk for serious injury or death. Every year a qualified technician should
inspect and clean your heating system, vents, chimney, and flues.
The following symptoms are related to carbon monoxide poisoning and should
be discussed with all members of the household:
Mild exposure: Slight headache, nausea, vomiting, fatigue (often described as
"Flu-like" symptoms).
Medium exposure: Severe throbbing headache, drowsiness, fast heart rate.
Extreme exposure: Unconsciousness, cardiorespiratory failure, death.
The above levels of exposure relate to healthy adults. Levels differ for those at
high risk. Exposure to high levels of carbon monoxide can be fatal or cause
permanent damage and disabilities. Many cases of reported carbon monoxide
poisoning indicate that while victims are aware they are not well, they become
so disoriented they are unable to save themselves by either exiting the building,
or calling for assistance. Also, young children and household pets may be the
first effected. Familiarization with the effects of each level is important.
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