Carbon Monoxide (CO) Poisoning Risks:
When operating a generator in the basement, someone in a second-floor bedroom could suffer a coma, brain damage, seizures or death in just five hours from CO poisoning. (Consumer Product Safety Commission)
Using a charcoal or gas grill to cook food, a pressure-washer to clean up flood debris, or any other gas-powered engine or tool inside your home or in an attached structure poses a major CO risk, even if doors and windows are open.
Odorless, tasteless, and colorless, CO is known as the Silent Killer. Symptoms mimic the flu: headache, nausea and dizziness. The only safe way for a homeowner to detect carbon monoxide in their home is to install a CO alarm on each level and in sleeping areas.
Only 27 percent of homes in America have CO alarms. (Hardware/ Homecenter Research Industry)
Fire Risks:
Between 1999 and 2002, candles caused an average of 16,700 fires and approximately 140 deaths each year in the U.S. (National Fire Protection Association)
Half (50%) of home candle fires occurred when some form of combustible material, i.e. bedding, mattresses, upholstered furniture, came too close to the candle. (NFPA)
Reports indicate that 40% of home fires involving candles start in the bedroom. (NFPA)
Improperly used generators are involved in about 600 home fires a year. (Consumer Product Safety Commission)
More than 94% of U.S. homes have at least one smoke alarm, yet more than one-third of those alarms do not work, mostly due to dead or missing batteries. (NFPA)
More than half of home fire deaths in the U.S. occurred in the 6% of homes without smoke alarms. (NFPA)
Having a smoke alarm in the home increases your fire survival rate by 40-50%. (NFPA)
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