Scottsdale, AZ – SCOTTSDALE, AZ – The Scottsdale Fire Department handed out free alarms to spread the message after a 22-year-old woman died of accidental carbon monoxide poisoning.
Lindsey O’Brien Kesling died in her Scottsdale apartment in November 2010, a victim of the silent killer.
Losing a child for any reason breaks a parent’s heart, but losing them to something that could have been prevented makes the loss so much heavier to bear, said Lindsey’s mother, Dot Kesling.
Kesling founded the LOK Foundation to raise awareness about carbon monoxide poisoning and how to prevent it.
CO poisoning is hard to recognize because the symptoms mimic other illnesses and include nausea, headaches, dizziness, weakness, chest pain and vomiting, according to the Scottsdale Fire Department.
The City of Scottsdale requires carbon monoxide alarms in homes with attached garages or gas appliances.
“Nationally 90 percent of homes do not have these alarms. In most cases, the poisoning happens at home,” Scottsdale Fire Marshall Jim Ford said.
The alarms were handed out Saturday morning at Fire Station 611.