Interactive Home Security Can Protect you from Carbon Monoxide

carbon monoxide detector hanging on kitchen wall

Unintentional Carbon Monoxide (CO) poisoning killed 2,244 people during the years 2010-2015, according to the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (March 3, 2017). Most cases occur in the winter when people are cold and using alternative heating but it is also an occupational hazard. In July of this year, three people were hospitalized due to carbon monoxide poisoning at the Powder Mill Square Shopping Plaza in Greenville; all three had been working construction at the site.

What is Carbon Monoxide

To human senses CO is an undetectable gas – that we can’t taste, smell, or see – a silent and deadly killer that builds up to a lethal level in unsuspecting victims. Gas stoves and heating systems, and/or gasoline engines, release it into our homes without our awareness. The symptoms of CO poisoning are initially very similar to the flu (headaches, dizziness, tiredness, nausea) that we think we’re coming down with a bug and go to bed to rest. Unfortunately, this is how most people die from CO gas.

Emergency personnel such as firemen are usually first-responders who find CO victims after it’s too late to help them. The Lewiston, ID fire department released a plea to their population based on experience. To keep yourself and loved ones safe, they stated:

  • Place CO alarms near sleeping areas
  • Check heating systems and fuel-burning appliances annually
  • Never burn fuels indoors except for safe devices like stoves and furnaces
  • Be attentive to possible symptoms of CO poisoning.
  • The CDC goes on to admonish: never leave a car running in an attached garage.

Interactive Home Security and CO Detectors

Carbon monoxide alarms come in various styles and types. These include battery-driven, hard-wired, monitored, and non-monitored. A significant issue with the battery-driven is that people forget to test and change the batteries. A CO alarm is not going to save you if it’s not working. Likewise, a non-monitored alarm will not assist you if you’re not home. Interactive home security systems-connected carbon monoxide detectors – such as those offered by Protec Security Systems – guarantee 24-hour central station protection, 7 days a week, whether you’re home or not.

ProTec Security Systems has been keeping Greenville, Spartanburg, Greer and the surrounding communities safe from crime and carbon monoxide-related issues since 1994.  Contact us today to see how we can help keep your family safe.