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Generator Safety
July 9, 2008 |
If a hurricane blows through Southwest Florida this summer you will likely be
left without power. Many residents will rely on gasoline powered generators to
produce electricity. But if those devices are kept in the wrong place they could
be deadly.
“Carbon monoxide poisoning is when you’re exposed in a closed space to the
emissions from a gasoline engine. The two times that we generally see that type
of poisoning occur is when it’s very cold and people are using old antiquated
space heaters or during hurricane season,” says Dr. Larry Hobbs the Director of
Emergency Medicine at Southwest Florida Regional Medical Center. Carbon monoxide
or CO-2 poisoning can happen within a matter of minutes and is responsible for
more deaths than any other single poison.
“We saw during Hurricane Charlie a tremendous number of incidents that occurred
because people didn’t want their generators stolen and put them in a closed
garages and the otherwise odorless tasteless gas seeped through the floorboards
and into their bedroom. They developed high levels of carbon monoxide in their
blood systems and became lethargic, started vomiting and some of them didn’t
even wake up.”
If you have a generator it’s important to place it where there is adequate
ventilation. Other important preparation tips include making sure you have a
back-up supply of medications that you take regularly. You may also want to have
extra copies of family medical documents such as immunization records or power
of attorney papers in case you get separated from your children. And don’t
forget you pets. They should have disaster supply kits and be up to date on
their vaccinations. |
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