Any natural or manmade disaster has the potential for knocking out our power infrastructure here in southern California. Whenever this occurs, most households in the U.S. turn to alternative sources of power for cooking, heating, or lighting for days and weeks in the aftermath of the event. These sources often include a generator, grill, camp stove or other gasoline, propane, natural gas, charcoal-burning or wood-burning devices. A running vehicle is also a common source of post-disaster fulfillment of basic needs. While all of these can serve a vital role in “disaster living,” they all have one lethal characteristic in common: the production of carbon monoxide (CO).
Often called the “silent killer,” carbon monoxide is an invisible, odorless, and colorless gas created when fuels, such as those discussed above, burn incompletely. A person can sustain carbon monoxide poisoning by a small amount of CO over a long period of time or a large amount of CO over a short period of time. The symptoms of CO poisoning can look very similar to those presented by the flu, food poisoning and other illnesses and these are listed below. If you ever suspect that you or somebody else is experiencing CO poisoning it is very important to get fresh air and seek medical attention immediately.
• Shortness of breath
• Fatigue
• Nausea
• Dizziness
• Headache
It is important to note that CO poisoning is not specific to just “disaster living” but rather it is just emphasized during these times as people must resort using unconventional means to fulfill their basic needs. Make no mistake about it that CO poisoning can be a hazard in day-to-day living as well. Every year fire departments nationwide respond to tens of thousands of non-fire; CO incidents in which carbon monoxide is detected. Unfortunately, on average, over one-hundred of these calls become fatality responses. In order to avoid CO poisoning, whether in day-to-day living or “disaster living,” the following best practices are high recommended:
• Operate portable generators and any energy-producing devices outdoors in a well-ventilated location away from windows, doors and vent openings.
• Never burn charcoal in homes, vehicles, tents or garages.
• Never use your oven or stove to heat your home.
• Never place foil on the bottom of a gas oven because it interferes with combustion.
• Do not run your car inside a garage that is attached to your home, even if the garage door is open to the outside.
• Ensure that carbon monoxide alarms are installed on every level of your home and outside every sleeping area to provide early warning for any accumulating CO. Treat these alarms as you should fire alarms by testing them every month and replacing the batteries every six months.
• If your CO alarm sounds, quickly move to a fresh air location outdoors or by an open window or door and call 9-1-1.
For more information on carbon monoxide hazard mitigation and response please see the following two resources:
http://www.cpsc.gov/PageFiles/112345/464.pdf
http://www.nfpa.org/safety-information/for-consumers/fire-and-safety-equipment/carbon-monoxide
We encourage the community to partner with the UC Irvine Police Department to prevent or report crime by calling (949) 824-5223. If you wish to remain Anonymous, call “OC Crime Stoppers” by dialing 855-TIP-OCCS (855-847-6227), text "OCCS" plus your tip to CRIMES (274637), or use the website http://occrimestoppers.org/
Receive updates directly via email by registering at Nixle.com and search for "UC Irvine Police" or text "UCIrvinePD" to 888777 to receive text message alerts only. Standard text messaging rates may apply depending on your calling plan.
UC Irvine Police Department
(949) 824-5223
http://police.uci.edu/
http://facebook.com/UCIrvinePD
http://twitter.com/UCIrvinePD
http://youtube.com/UCIrvinePD
http://nixle.com/University-of-California-Irvine-Police-Department
