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Nicky Morley (center) sits with her sons Luke (left), 5, Brad (center), 19 months, and Ben (right), 9. Morley got a call while taking her sons
The carbon monoxide detector in the Morleys' home |
A small plastic box, plugged into an outlet in their living room, may well have saved a Spotsylvania County family from a silent killer.
It was early on a February morning, and Nicky Morley switched on the propane fireplace in the living room to take the chill off the house as she readied her sons, Ben, 9, Luke, 5, and Brad, 19 months, for their day.
"It was an ordinary day for us," Morley said. "I got the kids up, got them breakfast."
Typically, the two oldest boys would have taken the school bus to Riverview Elementary, but they were running a little late, so Morley decided to drive them on her way to her job in the preschool at the Spotsylvania YMCA.
She dropped the boys at school, then got a call at 8:40 a.m. from her alarm company, Rappahannock Security Services, part of Rappahannock Electric Cooperative. They said her carbon monoxide alarm was sounding and they had dispatched the fire department.
"I honestly figured it was a false alarm," Morley said. "I shouldn't have, but I went in the house when I got home and tried to reset the alarm. It went off again and they told me to get out and wait for the fire department."
A crew from the Thornburg Volunteer Fire Department arrived, checked the house and exited it abruptly. The carbon monoxide reading was 150 parts per million--levels as low as 50 ppm can be fatal. They turned off the gas outside, suited up to avoid breathing the poisoned air in the home and went back in, opening all the windows to let the deadly carbon monoxide escape.
Carbon monoxide is colorless and odorless. It is formed when fuel is incompletely burned. It can be caused in homes by appliances such as space heaters, water heaters and gas fireplaces, as well as blocked chimneys or running a car inside a garage--even with the door open.
Carbon monoxide poisoning can cause dizziness, fatigue, headaches and nausea, leading to brain damage, then death.
Morley said her family experienced no symptoms.
"That was the really scary thing," she said. "We all felt fine. There was no smell, nothing."
According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, about 200 people die each year from carbon monoxide poisoning associated with home fuel-burning heating equipment.
Firefighters stayed with Morley about an hour, until the levels had returned to normal. Airing out the house was all that needed to be done.
The company that had installed Morley's fireplace came out that same day and checked it over but could find nothing wrong with it. Still, it was the only gas-fueled appliance in the home, and Morley wasn't willing to take any chances. She had it disconnected and had the tank removed.
"Exposure to a low concentration over several hours can be as dangerous as exposure to high carbon monoxide levels for a few minutes," according to the CPSC Web site, which recommends that every home have at least one detector in the area outside bedrooms (or better yet, one on each level of a home), but estimates that only about 15 percent of homes are equipped. "CPSC believes that carbon monoxide detectors are as important to home safety as smoke detectors are."
Morley's family had only recently become one of the 15 percent protected.
"It terrifies me to think what would have happened if we didn't have the carbon monoxide detector," she said.
Morley's husband, John, died in January 2008 from a pulmonary embolism. The family had moved into its new home only three months prior to his death.
"The boys were having a really hard time after they lost their dad," she said. "They were scared, and I thought a home alarm system would help them feel more secure."
When the salesman offered the carbon monoxide alarm, Morley thought twice about it.
"We always offer carbon monoxide detectors to our customers," said RSS general manager Monte Newton. "It is really a must for all families."
Morley's salesman was convincing.
"He said he really thought I should consider it," she said. "I called him back and added it in, just for the peace of mind. I count my blessings every day that he offered it to me and told me why I should consider it."
Companies such as RSS offer carbon monoxide and smoke detectors wired into alarm systems that are monitored 24/7, even if the home security system isn't armed, allowing emergency response vehicles to be dispatched even if no one is home.
Individual carbon monoxide alarms also are available at hardware stores and other locations. They will sound an alarm, but someone needs to be home to hear the alarm and take appropriate action.
Laura L. Hutchison:
Email: lhutchison@freelancestar.com
