Carbon Monoxide
And Its Lessons

Last week as our historic blizzard was coming down, an alarm went off in our home indicating that we should "get to fresh air." Before we opened the doors to almost zero temperatures, I called the Randolph Police Department and explained the situation and they promptly connected me to the Randolph Volunteer Fire Department.

They explained that I probably had carbon monoxide in our home due to a blocked vent and would be right up to our Braintree Hill residence, and to avoid breathing the air inside. They arrived within 15 minutes, found a substantial concentration of carbon monoxide in our basement, unblocked the offending vents, and resolved our problem very professionally.

This happening caused me to review my American Red Cross tips as to what to do to protect ourselves from winter chill. These I would like to share with Herald readers:

1) Be cautious with portable space heaters. Keep them at least three feet away from combustibles, never leave them operating when you are not in a room, and unattended with children and pets.

2) Do not operate portable generators inside your home or garage and connect directly into your home’s wiring.

3) Check your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors to make sure they are working properly and replace batteries as necessary.

4) Do not use candles if power goes out, use flashlights and make sure batteries are replaced as necessary.

5) Inspect fireplaces and wood-burning stoves, use a sturdy screen when burning fires, burn only wood and never burn paper or pine boughs.

Remember, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Bill Markle

Braintree Hill

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