Carbon monoxide alarm 'saves three'

Article date : 05/05/2010

It is probable that three people from Plymouth survived a recent carbon monoxide leak in their homes because they were alerted to the danger by an alarm.

Local publication the Herald reports that a woman and two men residing at a city centre property heard the carbon monoxide alarm sound shortly after midnight.

They were later treated by paramedics for some of the effects of the gas, including headaches, but it could be said the outcome may have been much worse if the alarm had not been present.

Watch manager Rob Green, who led the Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service crews, said if the alarm had not gone off "who knows how bad it could have been" as in addition to poisoning, the gas can also present an explosion risk.

"In this case the household did all the right things - they got out of the house immediately, opened the windows and did not turn any appliances on or off," he explained.

Carbon monoxide can be leaked from appliances in central heating systems such as gas boiler or fires, along with cookers, but it is almost impossible to detect relying on the human senses as it is invisible, odourless and tasteless.

For this reason, a carbon monoxide alarm and a regular boiler service carried out by a member of the Gas Safe Register could prove life saving.

Written by Tony Harrison

ADNFCR-1600-ID-19762565-ADNFCR