Corbon Monoxide Scare

From my Sister…

At 4:00 am (today 10/12) we woke up to a faint, continuous alarm sound, which sounded like it was coming from downstairs (not the smoke detector though). Saki was awake and walking up and down the hallway and the sound wasn’t stopping. Mayan went downstairs to check the carbon monoxide detector and sure enough, the second he opened the door by our boiler room, the alarm sound was really loud. I grabbed Reese and Saki and opened the front door (I knew if there was a problem, we needed to be in fresh air).

At that point though, we could not tell if the alarm was going off b/c the batteries were dying or if we were really having a carbon monoxide leak. I rushed to look for new batteries and didn’t have any new ones…so I went into one of Reese’s toys and quickly took the batteries out to put into the detector. Sure enough, the second I put them in, the sound was piercing (even upstairs in my living room) and the red light went on that read “Go To Fresh Air Immediately.” We called 911 and they said that a firetruck would be right over. Long story short, when the firemen came into our house they confirmed that our furnace was leaking carbon monoxide. Thankfully my parents live close by!

The reason why I am writing to you is to tell you how important it is to have a carbon monoxide detector. I know they are mandtatory in apartments, but not all houses have them. Mayan and I got lucky because our detector picked up the leak and if we didn’t have one, I don’t think we would have been so lucky. Even if you do have one, check the batteries every month, just as you should do for your smoke detectors. Unfortunately, we have only checked the batteries twice in the two years we have lived in our house…and this definitely made me realize how important it is to do monthly. The firemen also said that at the start of a new season, if possible, have the heat turned on by the heating company so they can check for carbon monoxide.

Please either pass this message along or tell your family and friends when you see them…our hope is that this email will save someone we love from a real tragedy. This could have been very bad…but thankfully we are all safe.

Love,
Lauren