City Offices Closed Monday in Observation of Martin Luther King Jr. Day

City offices will be closed on Monday, January 21st in observation of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. City offices will re-open on Tuesday, January 22nd for normal business hours (8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.).

Merriam Parks Foundation Hosts “An Evening with Moonlight Serenade Orchestra”

CO -- The Silent Killer

Do you realize that you could be breathing in a colorless, odorless, tasteless and highly poisonous gas right now? Carbon monoxide is such a gas and unless your home is protected by a carbon monoxide detector, you may not know realize that it is there. Carbon monoxide is caused by the incomplete combustion of carbon-containing fuels. Items such as automobiles, indoor stoves, camp stoves, furnaces, charcoal grills, gas powered equipment and even cigarette smoke produce carbon monoxide. Basically anything that burns should be considered a potential carbon monoxide producing device.

In industrialized countries, approximately 40,000 to 50,000 emergency department visits are due to carbon monoxide poisoning, which results in 5,000 to 6,000 deaths annually. The increase in CO poisoning generally occurs in the winter months and can be attributed to heating devices and to the use of gasoline-powered generators during power outages. In 2005, fire departments in the U.S. responded to 61,100 carbon monoxide incidents.

The elderly, small children and pregnant females are the most susceptible to carbon monoxide. High concentrations of carbon monoxide over a short period of time or low concentrations over an extended period of time can both be dangerous.

Some of the common signs of carbon monoxide poisoning are headache, dizziness, confusion, seizures, chest pain, lethargy, confusion, depression, agitation, nausea, vomiting diarrhea, drowsiness, and ultimately coma or death.. Exposure can also lead to hypotension with tachycardia, cardiac dysrhythmias, myocardial ischemia, ventricular fibrillation and pulmonary edemia.

The good news is that carbon monoxide detectors have been available for more than a decade. These devices recognize carbon monoxide and set off an alarm in a manner similar to a smoke alarm. Carbon monoxide detectors purchased before 1998 should be discarded since technology has changed and their reliability is diminished.  Detectors should be UL listed and they should be installed on each level of the home. Be sure that they can easily be heard in the sleeping area.

Never leave a vehicle running in the garage. Have your furnace and hot water heater checked annually to ensure that they are working properly. Never barbecue inside the garage or inside a structure. Use proper fuel in all heating appliances.

If your carbon monoxide detector sounds an alarm, leave the structure immediately and call 911 for assistance. The fire department will be glad to investigate why your alarm has activated and make sure that it is safe to return.

The Johnson County Fire and Emergency Chief’s Association wishes to ensure that your family is safe. If you have further questions concerning carbon monoxide or any other device, please contact your local fire department.