Go with CO, is an awareness campaign from Project SHOUT, designed to raise awareness of the dangers of CO (Carbon Monoxide) poisoning when travelling. At this time of the year this is especially important, as many families flock across the UK and abroad for their summer holidays.
We have talked at length in previous articles about the dangers of CO poisoning in the home, the importance of having a correctly serviced heating appliance, and ensuring your wood burning stove is clean, and the flue is swept regularly. But this advice should not just apply when you are at home. It is all too easy to forget these points when on your holidays.
As we have seen in the media from time to time, ignoring CO risks sometimes has tragic consequences, especially in countries where gas appliances may not be serviced as stringently as in the UK. When you are on holiday it is all too easy to forget these things. The Go With CO is designed to address this issue.
Very few people ever think about taking a Carbon Monoxide alarm on their travels. According to CORGI Home Plan, only 13% of people have had their camping and caravanning appliances serviced, with around 45% of people saying they often cook under a canvas, which can be deadly!
Regardless of where you holiday this year, Project SHOUT is urging gas professionals to get behind it’s latest campaign by encouraging them to tell their customers to take a CO alarm on their travels. With so much going on when preparing to go on holiday, it is so easy to overlook this.
Why is Carbon Monoxide so Dangerous?
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- It has no smell
- You can’t see it
- It produces symptoms similar to general flue-like illnesses, such as sickness, headache, weakness etc….
How to Reduce Risks on Holiday.
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- Take a CO Alarm!
- Avoid burning in confined spaces (such as cooking under canvas)
- Keep vents clear – In foreign villas and apartments they are often different in design to those in the UK, and are not aways as efficient, ensure they are clean and not blocked
- Although few will be needing to use a wood burning stove in the summer, if you do, ensure you burn the correct type of wood, and ask the property owner/manager when the flue was last cleaned. A blackened fire window can be a telltale sign something isn’t right
- When cooking using a gas appliance, be very wary of a weak, orange flame. It should be a crisp, strong blue flame!
- If there is condensation on the windows beware. Although Carbon Monoxide does not produce condensation, it is a sign that a heating appliance in a room may not be venting correctly.
Below are links to previous Carbon Monoxide advice and help, which we have produced:
Carbon Monoxide Positioning Risks
Have You Checked Your Gas Fire?
Gas Safety Week 2017
