This time of year, as people start closing their windows and turning their boilers on, it’s important to monitor carbon monoxide levels.
One Juneau family found that out firsthand this weekend.
At 6:06 a.m. Saturday, carbon monoxide alarms went off at a house on Wire Street. The alarms alerted Capital City Fire/Rescue, Assistant Chief Ed Quinto said. The family members — two adults and two teenage boys, Quinto said — were still dressed in their pajamas and waiting in their car out of the cold when CCFR workers arrived.
The four were unharmed, not showing any symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning. CCFR employees located a malfunctioning furnace, turned it off and opened windows and doors. In about five or 10 minutes, the carbon monoxide levels in the house were back to zero, Quinto said.
The instance serves as a good reminder of the importance of functioning alarms, Quinto said. If people have any appliances that burn fossil fuel, such as propane stoves or driers, they should also have carbon monoxide alarms. This time of year, buildings are especially prone to fires with people starting up their heating systems after not using them for a few months.
“This is the time of the year we recommend make sure your batteries in smoke alarms are updated and in carbon monoxide alarms are updated,” Quinto said.
Many new homes have combined carbon monoxide and smoke alarms, but if a household doesn’t have a carbon monoxide alarm, they’re available for purchase at places such as Home Depot, Don Abel Building Supplies and Valley Lumber & Building Supply, Quinto said. Instructions for installing them are included with the purchase.
