Lodi Fire sees increase in carbon monoxide calls

The Lodi Fire Department has received a significant increase in calls regarding issues with carbon monoxide detectors, and even though most calls turn out to be false alarms, firefighters are still seeking to educate residents about carbon monoxide safety.

According to Battalion Chief Gene Stoddart, the reason the department has seen an increase in calls is because some residents may be confusing the lifespan signal with the carbon monoxide signal.

Stoddart said the detectors send off signals when there are high levels of carbon monoxide as well when their life span is over. The life span of a carbon monoxide detector is about seven years, and when they start going out they give a signal which is different from the one that goes of when there is a high level of carbon monoxide in the air.

“People have never heard it before so they don’t know the difference. They just automatically think it’s a carbon monoxide detector going off and there is a problem in their home,” he said.

Stoddart said when firefighters respond to these calls they use a detector that tells exactly what the carbon monoxide level is in the home.

“That’s what we’re here for. We’re here to help the public check and make sure their house is safe,” he said.

In the event that no carbon monoxide is detected, Stoddart said they inform the residents that their detector needs to be replaced.

According to the Lodi Professional Firefighters Union, as of July 2011, the law requires that most homes have a detector and many are reaching the end of their service life. They urge residents to check the manufacture date and alert types on the back of their carbon monoxide detectors, and start planning to replace them soon.

According to Stoddart, carbon monoxide poisoning can be fatal, and those exposed to carbon monoxide may experience flu-like symptoms such as lethargy.

“If we go into a house and everybody says they are having the same symptoms and they don’t have a carbon monoxide detector, those are things we would check,” he said. “That would give us a clue that there is possibly carbon monoxide poisoning.”

Stoddart said the hemoglobin in blood is what absorbs the carbon monoxide, so the amount of carbon monoxide in the atmosphere determines how quickly and how suddenly it will affect someone. He said it could happen slowly over time, but hemoglobin in blood grabs the carbon monoxide faster than it can release it.

“You can take it on fast but it releases it slow, so that’s a problem. It takes time for the body to disperse the bad stuff,” he said.

Fortunately Stoddart said there haven’t been any deaths in Lodi due to carbon monoxide poisoning within the last decade.

“Typically people realize something is going on or their alarm goes off, notifying them that something is wrong,” Stoddart said.

He pointed out that many people are exposed to carbon in their garage when they are running their car. He said anything that runs on carbon or that is carbon-related such as natural gas or gasoline could possibly produce carbon monoxide.

“We like (the sensors to be) located in the

home between any of those products of combustion such as a water heater or gas stove and your bedroom,” Stoddart said. “That’s when the biggest danger is — when you’re sleeping — because you have no idea what it’s doing. So if you can have that carbon monoxide detector in between those areas it really increases your chances of realizing there is a problem.”

Stoddart wants all residents to make sure they have a monoxide detector installed in every home. He warns that carbon monoxide is colorless and odorless and can go anywhere in the home without the resident knowing.

Having a detector in the home can save lives, he said.

Stoddart said some carbon monoxide detectors are combined with smoke detectors, and carbon monoxide detectors come in all shapes and sizes. He said its important that residents make sure they able to test the detectors and change the batteries.

For more information on carbon monoxide detectors and smoke detectors please contact the fire department at 209-333-6735. Stoddart said for those who can’t afford smoke detectors the fire department will give them a smoke detector and they are willing to assist them in finding the best place to install it in their home.