Daylight saving time is coming to an end this weekend, and firefighters say it’s a good time to change the batteries in smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.
Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless gas that can be deadly.
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In order to keep people safe, appliances including furnaces, space heaters, and portable generators must be properly ventilated.
The gas made it into a home near Boston, Massachusetts nearly killing a family of five who had been using a generator to power their home after a storm, but the generator was too close to the house.
Firefighters say nine-year-old Jayline Brandoa saved her family after finding them unconscious.
Her dad’s phone was locked, but she got creative and managed to call 911 by unlocking it with his face.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 400 people in the U.S die from carbon monoxide poisoning each year.
Some of the most common sources of carbon monoxide poisoning are gas space heaters, furnaces and chimneys, gas stoves, generators and other gasoline-powered equipment and automobile exhaust from attached garages.
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Everyone is at risk for carbon monoxide poisoning, so it’s important to know the symptoms which are often described as flu-like.
They include headache, dizziness, weakness, upset stomach, vomiting, chest pain and confusion, according to the CDC.
To keep your family safe, the CDC has several recommendations including having a carbon monoxide detector in your home and changing the battery when the time changes and we spring forward or fall back.
Also, have carbon monoxide producing appliances and systems inspected, and keep generators out of your home, basement and garage and at least 20 feet from any window, door and vent.
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