With this winter storm and the threat of power outages, Spokane Fire Department reminds the community to take precautions that can prevent exposure to carbon monoxide and reduce the potential for home fires: . Keep flashlights on hand for emergency use. They are much safer than depending on candles for light and the wind-up versions do not require extra batteries. . Do not warm up your car in a garage attached to the home because the carbon monoxide fumes can quickly become deadly. (Eight persons in Edmonton required treatment in hyperbaric chambers last week after a condominium resident left a car running in their common garage.) . Do not use your oven to temporarily heat the home. . Never bring generators or barbeque grills inside the home for heating or cooking purposes. During a winter storm in Western WA last year, 17 persons died from carbon monoxide poisoning and nearly 100 were treated in area hospitals because they did not realize how dangerous it is to use a grill or generator inside a building. . Never use extension cords with portable space heaters. Always plug the appliance directly into the wall and make sure there is at least a 3 foot clearance between the heater and any item that can burn. . Make sure that every smoke detector in your home has a good battery. Hardwired detectors should have back-up batteries. Detectors should not be more than 10 years old. Homes should have at least one photoelectric detector on each level to better protect from slow, smoldering fires. . If you use your fireplace, take extra care to safely dispose of the ashes in a metal container located a safe distance from the house structure. . Clear the snow from your neighborhood fire hydrant so that emergency crews do not have to waste time locating the water supply.
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