D/F said:
I have been a Volunteer Fire Fighter for 6 years now.
If you get a CO alarm. GET OUT OF THE HOUSE! Get your kids, pets, and GET OUT.
Call the fire department right away. Call your dispatch non emergency number, or even call 911. That's what we are here for, and that's what the 911 center is for.
The fire department will show up, pack up ( with self contained breathing apparatus) aka SCBA's. We will then walk in with an air meter. I forget the technical name for it.
It will "sniff" the air for CO and give us an LEL number, and parts per million. We use these after we put out a house fire. We have a policy set fourth that if you are in a residence with a certain LEL level you MUST wear an air pack. So, the long short of it is, your CO alarm close to, if not exactly at the LEL level that we MUST wear an air pack.
Get out of the house, call the FD. We'll pack up, go in, and check it. We have the air packs and the tools to make sure it's safe. And we show up 24/7.
From what iv'e read here. I wouldn't burn the heater until I had it all checked. It's really not worth it.
If your alarm goes off, you in no way shape of form should be in your house. I can't drive this one home enough.
I agree with D/F's post 100% . . . when the CO alarm sounds and you've got a concern it's time to get out and call 911.
The one thing I should state is that Bokehman mentioned that Kidde's literature states that one should shut off appliances, open windows, leave and call for help. There are a couple potential problems I have with this . . . 1) by staying inside shutting down appliances you're potentially staying exposed to CO for a longer period and 2) when the FD arrives we will now have to attempt to duplicate the same conditions that caused the CO detector to alarm. I personally recommend folks to simply get out and call 911 if the detector is sounding and they have any symptoms of CO poisoning (low levels = headache, nausea, dizziness, light-headed, etc.) -- this way we can more accurately try to determine what (if anything) is causing the CO detector to alert.
Also, a number of folks mentioned CO detectors with digital meters. A more important feature to me is battery back-up or battery power since a good number of CO incidents we have seen here in Maine involve situations involving a lack of power (and subsequent and stupid use of old kerosene heaters, generators being placed inside, etc.) However, in relation to the digital meters -- I like them. It helps us (firefighters) to know the level at the time you called and also provides the home owner with some assurance that this may not be a faulty alarm (something we don't see as much as we used to with some of the earlier CO detectors), but honestly all CO detectors are set to activate at a certain CO parts per million level regardless of whether they have a digital meter or not.
And finally some more advice from a guy who has spent the last 15 years teaching this stuff to the general public as his job . . .
-- As mentioned by Arcticchat . . . CO detectors should be replaced every 3-5 years (so Driz even though you love that CO detector you bought in 1988 it's time to replace it with a newer one -- but I would still keep it as a back-up) and smoke detectors should be replaced every 10 years
-- Smoke detectors are good . . . and studies have shown a direct correlation to the number you have and your chances of surviving a fire. However, equally important -- they have to work (which goes back to replacing batteries in them at least once a year) and this means not disabling them by yanking out the battery or turning them off (electric) by hitting the circuit breaker when they go off while you're cooking. People disabling the detectors (due to "false alarms" such as burned toast, burned food, steam from a shower, etc.) and then failing to reactivate them is a very serious problem . . . which is why they have smoke detectors now with silencer features which will hush the detector when a button is pushed for five minutes and then it resets itself (one model also uses a standard TV remote to silence it which is nice for high or cathedral ceilings).
-- And while we're on the smoke detector tangent . . . some newer homes have interconnected smoke detectors which I like (if one goes off in a house, they all alarm). Folks with older homes who do not want to rewire their homes can now buy wireless interconnected smoke detectors as well. Even more important in my own opinion is that folks not just have quantity, but quality when it comes to smoke detectors. What I mean by this is I highly recommend having both ionization and photo-electric detectors (or a dual ion/photo-electric detector) in their home -- to make a long winded post a bit shorter . . . having one of both types or a dual model will provide you with the earliest warning possible.
-- Fire extinguishers. A good idea. An escape plan. An even better idea. Your whole family should know what to do if the alarm sounds . . . do not rely on the firefighters to save your kids. There's a chance . . . a good chance if you live in a rural area like I do, that we will not get there in time. Instead, teach your children how to get out (with a second exit in mind) and where they should meet so that everyone knows everyone is out.
And Firefighterjake's last bit of advice . . . financial this time around . . . there is a nation-wide company that will invite you to a free dinner and then they'll give a spiel about how your detectors in your home are bad and their detectors are good. Don't fall for the MG spiel . . . while they are selling their products legally, IMHO they're deceptive and using scare tactics to sell over-priced merchandise.