Simply cannot say this enough: do not run a portable generator in your home, do not try to heat your home with a charcoal grill, do not try to heat your home with a stove. All of those products can produce deadly levels of carbon monoxide that can kill within minutes.
As a power out continues people get desperate. They stop thinking clearly and take risks that can have deadly consequences. We know it seems simple, but a quick reminder about carbon monoxide to a friend or family member who is experiencing the rolling blackouts could save lives.
Also, when a crisis is happening, and it doesn't affect you personally, your reaction should be self-reflection, not shaming. A desire to improve the quality of safety in your own life, not gawk at the lack of safety in someone else's.
Do you have a working fire extinguisher? Are your own smoke/carbon monoxide alarms working? Is your space heater plugged into the wall? If you have kids, is your furniture anchored? Are your window blind cords secured? Are your cleaning products locked up?
It all sounds common sense. It all sounds easy. That's why people forget. Life is busy and you get complacent. If you're lucky enough to be safe and warm right now, please take some time to think about safety in your own home.
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We're seeing more media reports of carbon monoxide poisoning incidents in Texas. If you know someone there who doesn't have power, check on them to make sure they are not using a portable generator indoors and that they have working carbon monoxide alarms in their home.
You can't see or smell carbon monoxide (CO) and it can kill a family within minutes. If you're running a portable generator, it must be outdoors and at least 20ft away from your home. One portable generator can literally produce the same amount of CO as hundreds of cars.
Besides portable generators, we're seeing reports of people using charcoal grills and home stoves to stay warm. Both of these products can produce deadly levels of carbon monoxide. Stoves should NEVER be used to heat a home. Charcoal grills should NEVER be used indoors.
We've read extensively and watched a number of online videos and believe this is indeed the best way to extract value out of the vertical surge of Handsome Ron's Carbon Monoxide Safety Tips stock.
We've seen the troubling photo of a young child crawling in the middle of the road and while your gut reaction may be to shame the caretakers we ask that you fight that impulse with all your being. If you think this kind of thing could not happen in your home, you are mistaken.
We spend a lot of time on here encouraging people to be more mindful of the safety of themselves and their families. That's because children end up in dangerous situations in every kind of household, with parents from every socioeconomic background, all. the. time.
If there's one thing you should take away from that photo it's that this is the time to evaluate your own home and ask yourself how you could make it safer.