Home Fire Safety Equipment

Carbon monoxide, often called the "silent killer," is an invisible, odorless, colorless gas created when fuels (such as gasoline, wood, coal, natural gas, propane, oil, and methane) burn incompletely. 

In the home, heating and cooking equipment that burn fuel are potential sources of carbon monoxide. Vehicles or generators running in an attached garage can also produce dangerous levels of carbon monoxide. 

Many of these symptoms are similar to the flu, food poisoning, or other illnesses. Symptoms of CO poisoning may include:

• Dizziness
• Faintness
• Mental confusion
• Nausea
• Severe headache

Use the following tips to stay safe from carbon monoxide at home.

• Install CO alarms (listed by an independent testing laboratory) inside your home to provide early warning of accumulating CO.
• CO alarms should be installed in a central location within ten feet of sleeping areas.
• Test CO alarms at least once a month and replace CO alarms according to the manufacturer's instructions.
• When the detector goes off, dial 911 and leave the home if anyone is feeling ill.
• If the alarm sounds and nobody has any signs of carbon monoxide poisoning, you should contact the gas company or provider in your area to have a service technician check your home CO levels. You should leave the home until you know the carbon monoxide levels have been checked and determined to be normal.
• Know the difference between the sound of the smoke alarms and the sound of the CO alarms.

• Make sure you have adequate fire extinguishers in your home.
• Understand that there are different types of fires and different types of fire extinguishers. You can get a multi-purpose extinguisher for home use.
• Make sure you know how to use an extinguisher.
  • Pull the pin.
  • Aim the hose at the base of the fire.
  • Squeeze the trigger.
  • Sweep the agent to extinguish the fire.
• If you don't understand how to use your fire extinguisher, call the Fire Department at 507-444-2454 for assistance.
• Always call 911 to report the fire first.
• Make sure you can easily extinguish the fire without breathing smoke.
• Always maintain the ability to safely exit the area if you cannot extinguish the fire.

• Have a working smoke alarm on every level of your home.
• Have a smoke alarm in every sleeping area.
• Have a smoke alarm in common areas outside sleeping areas.
• Replace the batteries once a year.
• Replace your smoke alarms every ten years or according to manufacturer's instructions.
• Test your smoke alarms once a month.
• Make sure everyone can hear the alarm and be awakened during a fire.
  • Special alarms are available for hearing impaired. Contact the fire department at 507-444-2454 if you need more information.

Most people don’t realize that 8 out of 10 fire deaths occur in the home. They usually happen at night when people are asleep. People also do not understand how fast fires spread and how they can go from a tiny flame to total destruction in as little as three minutes. 

Fire sprinklers can suppress and often extinguish a fire before the fire department arrives, giving people time to escape.

For more information, visit the Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition website.