MISSOURI: Montgomery Archives

Deer season has started and we have already had a few deer versus car accidents. Be especially vigilant on secondary roads early in the morning and again at dusk. Also remember the deer plus one rule. When you see a deer in the road and are able to avoid it there is a very good chance there will be one behind it you didn’t see. I wish I had kept track of how many people told me they missed the first deer they saw and then hit a second one.

Last week was National Fire Prevention Week and I spoke about checking smoke detectors and chimney flues. This week I want to talk about carbon monoxide poisoning. Most of us wouldn’t think of that as a law enforcement issue but I have worked the aftermath of carbon monoxide poisoning and it is always tragic. In most of the cases a 40-dollar investment in a detector may well have prevented the deaths.

It’s the time of year when people start to seal up their houses and use heaters that haven’t been checked. Un-vented kerosene and gas space heaters, leaking chimneys and furnaces; back-drafting from furnaces, gas water heaters, wood stoves and fireplaces, gas stoves, generators and other gasoline powered equipment and automobile exhaust from attached garages can all cause lethal amounts of carbon monoxide.

There is a lot of information about the necessity of a smoke alarm but not nearly as much information about the need for Carbon monoxide detectors in the home or RV. If you are awake at the time of a fire you at least get a little warning because you can see and smell the smoke or feel the heat.

With carbon monoxide there is no warning at all. Carbon monoxide is odorless and tasteless as well as invisible. Most people who start to feel sick from the effects think they are catching the flu. Very shortly after that they become so disoriented that they are unable to save themselves by either exiting the building or calling for assistance. To further the problem, a lot of people think that a smoke detector negates the need for a Carbon monoxide detector, which it does not. Preventing carbon monoxide from becoming a problem is the first defense:

• Use proper fuel in kerosene space heaters.

• Install and use an exhaust fan over a gas stove that is vented to the outdoors.

• Open flues when fireplaces are in use.

• Choose properly sized wood stoves.

• Make certain that doors on all wood stoves fit tightly.

• Have a trained professional inspect, clean, and tune-up central heating system (furnaces, flues, and chimneys) annually. Repair any leaks promptly.

• Do not idle the car inside garage.

Calls this week:

C&I driver - New Florence

Motor vehicle accident - New Florence

Stealing - Middletown

Burglary - Middletown

Dog complaint - High Hill

Assist Warren County - New Florence

Assault - Bellflower

Motor vehicle accident - New Florence

Stealing - Danville

Suspicious vehicle - Big Spring

ATV on roadway - Middletown

Citizen complaint -Middletown

Suspicious person - New Florence

Property damage - Danville

Cows loose - Wellsville

Animal complaint - High Hill

Civil dispute - High Hill

Assist Missouri State Highway Patrol - Mineola

Motor vehicle accident - New Florence