Heating in winter - danger from carbon monoxide
It is odorless and tasteless and just a few breaths can lead to death: Carbon monoxide is produced during an incomplete combustion process.
Headlines from this year confirm this:
Flörsheim: Charcoal barbecue used as a heater - three injured
Hattersheim: Not a good idea: Charcoal barbecue used in the home - four people injured
Kiel: Barbecue set alight in apartment - one person injured and one cat rescued
Offenbach: Emergency generator operated - Two dead in apartment
The fire department advises: Raise the alarm even in suspected cases.
"The causes are often a lack of ventilation, faulty combustion in ovens or defects in gas boilers," warns Frank Hachemer, Vice President of the German Firefighters' Association (DFV), in light of the fatal carbon monoxide poisoning of six young people in Arnstein (Bavaria). "Time and again, the fire department is called out due to outgassing charcoal residues from shisha pipes or barbecues in closed rooms, for example," reports the expert.
Carbon monoxide is not noticeable to humans. The gas with the abbreviation CO binds to the red blood cells (haemoglobin) in the blood and displaces the oxygen. After just a few breaths, this can lead to severe symptoms of poisoning and death. In recent years, more and more fire departments have been equipped with CO warning devices that sound the alarm if a warning threshold is exceeded. "Even if you suspect carbon monoxide poisoning, you should react quickly," Hachemer appeals.
The German Fire Brigade Association gives the following advice:
- Ensure adequate ventilation when operating shisha pipes or similar devices. Never barbecue in closed rooms - this also applies to cooling the charcoal!
- When using incinerators or gas-powered appliances, take sudden headaches seriously - they are the first sign of possible poisoning. They may be accompanied by a clouding of consciousness.
- If you suspect the presence of carbon monoxide, leave the affected room immediately. If possible, open the windows to ventilate the room.
- If you can do so without endangering yourself, switch off the appliance that may be causing the fire or remove the trigger from the home.
- If you suspect a fire, call the fire department and emergency services using the emergency number 112, which is valid throughout Europe!
Not only prudent action, but also precaution can help to prevent accidents:
- An important contribution to prevention is regular maintenance of the heating system, for example by the chimney sweep. This is mandatory once a year. For example, it can be determined whether a ventilation duct is blocked and the heating gases or exhaust fumes are therefore not being extracted properly. This can also be caused by bird nests.
- Use the systems properly. In the case of floor heating systems, the ventilation slots of the respective doors of the gas heaters must be kept clear and not obstructed, otherwise the system will not receive enough oxygen.
- There are now smoke detectors that also warn against the release of carbon monoxide. It makes sense to install such a device near the gas boiler.
These special CO detectors are available from specialist retailers - including the mail-order company of the German Fire Brigade Association at www.feuerwehrversand.de. (opens in a new tab)
Press contact: Silvia Darmstädter, phone (030) 28 88 48 8-23, e-mail darmstaedter⚹dfv◦org, Twitter @FeuerwehrDFV, www.facebook.com/112willkommen
You can find all DFV press releases at www.feuerwehrverband.de.