GTFD Response to Carbon Monoxide Alarms

The largest single cause of carbon moxide alarms in Green Township has been the automobile. Cars generate such large quantities of CO that they can trigger an alarm in a short time. Residents who warm up there car in or near the garage soon find out how much carbon monoxide is pumped into their home. For this reason, we recommend the following procedures to alleviate this problem:

• Never run an automobile in or near the garage for any reason any longer than absolutely necessary
• Make sure the door between the house and attached garage closes and seals well
• Pull into the garage and turn off the car as soon as possible. (DO NOT back in)
• After backing out of the garage, move the car away from the door immediately
• If possible, leave the door open for a short time to ventilate the garage

If your CO detector goes off for any reason:

• Don’t panic!
• Notify the fire department ASAP (indicate if anyone is feeling ill)
• DO NOT ventilate the building before the Fire Department arrives. This can make locating the source more difficult
• Wait outside or in a nearby building for the Fire Department

We use precision metering equipment to determine if any CO is present and how much (down to 1 part per million). If CO is present, we will use a methodical approach to isolate the source and, if possible, eliminate it.