COLUMBUS, Ohio — Carbon monoxide poisoning can be a life-or-death situation.

What You Need To Know

  • According to the CDC, on average, there are about 400 carbon monoxide poisoning deaths in the United States every year

  • Genoa Township fire department says you should never use your gas stove to heat your home, to get your furnace inspected yearly and to check your outdoor exhaust pipes for blockage to prevent carbon monoxide leaks  

  • The only way to detect carbon monoxide levels in your home is with a carbon monoxide detector

“(Carbon monoxide) is an odorless tasteless gas that produced any time you burn any type of a fuel,” said Genoa Township Fire Department Battalion Chief, Brady Johnson.

Johnson said it’s often something that people don’t pay attention to but should because it can truly save your life.

“The most important thing of any of this fuels that you use is have a proper detection by having a carbon monoxide alarm,” said Johnson.

Johnson said having a carbon monoxide alarm is imperative because you won’t realize you have a leak in the house. Carbon monoxide poisoning symptoms are flu-like symptoms.

“So many people get a headache, they get nauseous, they start vomiting, they have some abdominal pain and they just think, you know, I'll take some ibuprofen, I'll relax, and indeed, they could have severe carbon monoxide poisoning and they would never know that unless they had the carbon monoxide alarm,” Johnson said.

Getting your furnace inspected every year and checking your exhaust pipes outside your home to make sure there is no blockage is critical. Carbon monoxide awareness and prevention means a lot to Genoa Township because they have seen firsthand how it can affect their community members.

“In the past, we've had a few incidents here in Genoa Township and with carbon monoxide. And whether it's been a loss of life or an illness. These can be prevented with a carbon monoxide detector and again, that's the only way you're going to know you have carbon monoxide in the home,” Johnson said.

The fire department suggest you have at least one carbon monoxide detector on every floor of your home because it’s best to be cautious.

“You can't taste it. You can't see it. You know, there's the possibility you could have some type of an odor that you could might be able to smell car exhaust, but something like a cracked heat exchanger in a furnace. You're not going to know that that is off gassing carbon monoxide,” Johnson said.

You can buy a carbon monoxide detector from your local hardware store.