Beware Carbon Monoxide Poisoning! Several Near Tragedies in County!

I was just reviewing some of the significant calls that our department responded too over the last 24 hours. The one thing that stuck out in my mind was the number of carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning calls that we responded too.

Scary was one incident in which a total of 8 people (1 infant, 3 toddlers and 4 adults) were transported to two area hospitals in a near tragic outcome. In that instance, initial reports indicate that a grill was being used indoors to heat the house.

Likewise, there was another CO incident involving someone grilling inside to cook! Needless to say, bringing grills inside to either help with heating or cooking are tremendously bad ideas. Gas or charcoal – it does not matter.

In addition, you should not be running generators indoors if your power is out as that will also be a potential source of CO poisoning. Run generators outdoors!

If your power is out, please know that the county has provided several different shelter locations that you can go to for warmth and food and shelter! Go here for more on that: Montgomery County to Open Two Additional Shelters at 4 p.m. for Residents Affected by Power Outages

There were also a few other emergency responses that could be tied to the cold weather! Please take a moment to look at some of our related safety tips below. My hope is that many of you without power do have cell phones and other similar devices that you can get this message and act appropriately. Also if you know of someone who is without power, please pass the word!

Fire & Carbon Monoxide Risks During Cold Weather

Stay safe out there!

Bill Delaney