Check your smoke detectors. And your CO detectors (added)

[lizziegrace]

Replace the batteries, replace the units if necessary.



http://www.nbc4i.com/news/10171861/detail.html


COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Four people, including a 2-week-old child, died in a fire inside a home Friday morning.......


Investigators said the fire originated in an upstairs bedroom. The cause of the fire was determined to be an overheated extension cord that was connected to a space heater.

The blaze was ruled accidental, investigators said. Damage was estimated at $75,000.

Firefighters said there were no working smoke detectors inside the home.

[av8rdave]

1. Thanks for the reminder

The CO detector gets checked too!

[lizziegrace]

2. Good point!

I had a natural gas furnace with holes in the heat exchanger. We were lucky we didn't all die. The smell of gas is what clued us in. The gas company condemned the furnace and disconnected everything.

I have a CO detector now, always.


on edit - this was when Lelapin was about 2 and I don't think CO detectors were available to the general public then.

[av8rdave]

3. I replaced my gas furnaces for the same reason

The upstairs one was in a closet just outside of my daughter's bedroom, and turns out the combustion chamber was badly deteriorated. I replaced it with a remotely located unit that serves the whole house.

Nice benefits: Safer, more efficient furnace, and I converted the old furnace location into a really nice cedar closet.

[lizziegrace]

4. I have a question

and this may be stupid, but any appliance that burns fuel can create CO, correct?

I moved from a house with natural gas to one with an oil furnace.

[av8rdave]

6. absolutely

I get mine inspected every year, and try to keep up with the batteries in the CO detector.

I have some friends in Wisconsin that lost both of their children in a house fire years ago - has turned me into a paranoid person when it comes to some things.

[johnnie]

5. In one year I new 7 people who died from CO

The one was a family that lived down the street from me. Mother, father, two little girls and a little boy. The girls used to rake leaves and stuff for money and they had just done it for me a week before. I had paid them the week before that and I owed them for this last time. The whole family died because of a bird's nest in the flue. The little ones were saving money for Christmas presents for their family. This was about a week before Christmas and the presents were already under the tree when they died. It was so sad :(

Less than 2 weeks later, a young woman who I knew died along with her boyfriend in an apartment. They were moving and had moved everything out but decided to stay one more night in sleeping bags. They never woke up the next morning. She was just 21.


Winter is a bad time for this and we need to keep up on fire and CO detectors.

[av8rdave]

7. omg....so sorry

And it's so preventable

[lizziegrace]

8. Oh johnnie...

That's so sad and must have left a huge hole in your soul.

:(

I've even given CO detectors as Christmas gifts. They thought I was nuts, but I don't mind being seen as crazy by people I don't want to lose.

For all - If you know anyone at risk or someone who cannot afford smoke detectors or CO detectors, contact your local fire department.

[johnnie]

9. On my first annual New Years party..

3 years ago, my alarm went off during the party. I pulled it out of the wall and told everyone they need to thank me for saving their lives..lol.

Well, we kept partying, but I was concerned. the only thing was that I had someone there to fix my furnace and they checked it. The next morning I did call the firehouse and they came out. They checked and everything was fine and they said that the detectors go bad. They told me a certain one to get, but I haven't gotten a new one :blush:

The one fireman pointed at my birds and said "There's your CO detectors" Lol

But yes, the little kids dying was especially sad. I was sharing the house with my brother and we were heartbroken. I had just seen the kids running down the street the day before.

[lizziegrace]

14. Nag alert

and I'm not talking about my looks.

Get thee to a store and get a CO detector. The kind the firefighters told you to. We don't want to lose you needlessly.

:hug:

[Rabrrrrrr]

10. You mean, my CO Liberal detector?

:rofl:

God, I'm on a roll this morning!

:rofl:

[lizziegrace]

12. You certainly are

;)

[Blue Diadem]

11. Both are extremely important

DH and I are planning on buying our son a Carbon Monoxide detector and a few new smoke detectors. My son and his wife just moved into an older home and the furnace is old..but I've learned it doesn't matter if the unit that burns fuels is old or not.

When we moved to Michigan, DH and I had an experience with Carbon Monoxide. We'd bought a mobile home and immediately had a new hot water tank installed..to the tune of over $500. The man was supposed to check out the floor and reinforce it if necessary because the prior owners had a leak. He assured me everything was fine. Months later, it wasn't. If you've never lived in a mobile home, the hot water tanks are hidden..usually in some type of closet..unlike our home where it sits openly in our basement. The chimney pipes also do not screw together like the ones in other homes.

DH began having memory problems..while I felt like I had the flu and couldn't concentrate. It went on for months, meanwhile we were breathing in CO every time our hot water heater came on. One of the legs had punctured the weakened floor, tilting the entire unit and throwing the chimney out of whack..allowing poisons to enter the house.

We had never lived in a mobile home before. We thought we'd taken precautions by getting a new heater...but the one thing we didn't have was a carbon monoxide detector. We have one now.

[lizziegrace]

13. If they're defective or installed improperly

age doesn't matter.

I'm glad you and DH are okay. And not to nag, but get those for your son as soon as you can. ;)

[Blue Diadem]

15. I'll be getting them this weekend.

I was shocked to see the age of the furnace..it's similar to the one we replaced in the 70's in our first home. It has to be at least 45 yrs old.

They have several smoke detectors..but they look so old I'm afraid they might not work anymore. I think I've heard they're only good for certain period of years.

[lizziegrace]

16. I had a house in Columbus

(the one we owned) with a furnace original to the house. Cast iron. It was rusting from the inside out and the ductwork was all wrong. It was over 40 years old when I had it hauled out.

[av8rdave]

17. And you Do need a furnace in Columbus

I was there on Tuesday and it was COLD!

[hedgehog]

18. Does anyone have any idea how to dispose of old smoke

detectors and when? I know they're supposed to be replaced after a certain number of years. I'm a little dubious about just tossing the old ones since they have some radioactive isotopes inside.

[One_Life_To_Give]

20. The ones with Radioactive materials

are returned to the manufacturer for disposal. Check on the manufacturers website. They should have instructions for how to ship it back to them.

If it doesn't have radioactive materials, such as the Photo-Electric detectors you can dispose of them like any other piece of household electronic equipment.

[Broken_Hero]

19. thanks for the reminder

I got some 9volts to replace....honestly, thanks...:hi:

[lizziegrace]

21. Kick, because it's important

:kick: