KNOW WHAT TO DO WHEN YOUR CARBON MONOXIDE ALARM GOES OFF!

More and more West Reading homeowners, as well as many others across the nation, are installing carbon monoxide (CO) alarms to help protect their families from this invisible hazard. Just as fire fatalities have dropped by more than 34% in the last ten years with the increased use of smoke alarms, we hope to see additional lives saved as carbon monoxide detectors protect more homes.

CO is a common by-product of combustion from fuel-burning appliances and is invisible to human senses, yet it can cause health problems, brain damage, and even death. That is why the West Reading Fire Department joins many fire companies across the nation in recommending that every home have carbon monoxide detectors installed. If you live in or near West Reading, you can pick one up at our fire station, located at 430 Franklin Street, West Reading. (Since we're an all-volunteer company and have no "employees" or "operating hours," the best time to find someone in the station is on a Wednesday evening about 6:00, call 610-372-9621 or email Lieutenant David Miliauskas to arrange to meet someone.)

Everyone needs to understand what to do if their carbon monoxide alarm activates, because in many instances it may sound a warning before there's any apparent hazard. It should never be ignored. Carbon monoxide alarms are designed to detect a CO leak before anyone gets sick. However, if the leak is severe enough, flu-like symptoms may begin to show up quickly, especially among younger or older family members who are more vulnerable and less tolerant of this poison.

If your alarm activates:

Gather all family members in a pre-designated meeting place outside the home and check to be sure everyone is present.

Determine if anyone is experiencing poisoning symptoms such as headache, nausea, dizziness or disorientation.

Call 9-1-1 from a neighbor's house for the fire department to test the air in your home for CO buildup.

Be sure to install your CO alarm according to the manufacturer's directions near a sleeping area, either high or low on the wall-both are effective. Be aware that installing a carbon monoxide detector too close to a potential CO source (such as directly over a furnace or adjacent to a gas oven) may result in the alarm going off when no immediate danger exists.

• The Journal of the American Medical Association reports that each year 1,500 people die from accidental carbon monoxide poisoning, and another 10,000 are injured.

• Carbon Monoxide is invisible and odorless. It can come into your home as a result of malfunctioning fuel burning furnaces and appliances or as a result of disconnected, cracked or clogged exhaust systems or chimneys.

Because you can't see or smell carbon monoxide, you need a carbon monoxide detector with an audible alarm to let you know when you have a carbon monoxide problem.