Albany, GA – A South Albany woman got the surprise of her life, Monday, when she came home to a ringing carbon monoxide alarm.
She was not injured, but had it not been for her alarm, the outcome could have been much different because of that silent killer.
Fire crews responded to the call at a house on Holloway Avenue after Patricia Davis came home and discovered her carbon monoxide alarm was going off.
“I’m thankful to God. Very thankful to God and I’m very thankful for the fire department for responding so quickly,” said Davis.
Albany Fire officials suspect the carbon monoxide came from a gas leak from a heater in the house.
Davis believes that carbon monoxide detector may have saved her life.
On average, about 170 people in the United States die every year from carbon monoxide poisoning.
“We would have went in, not realizing it could have been going on longer than just today, it just got to a point where the alarm went off,” said Davis.
“If you have any gas powered stove, water heater or furnace, it’s very important to have a carbon monoxide detector, Carbon Monoxide is colorless, odorless and tasteless,” said AFD Battalion Chief Keith Ambrose.
Battalion Chief Ambrose says this is the time of year when more people crank up those gas powered appliances to keep warm, increasing the chance of carbon monoxide poisoning.
Regular maintenance checks on those appliances are a must.
“Anytime you have a gas powered unit, it has a vent somewhere to vent out and if you close it up and you do have a leak it’s going to stay inside with you,” said Ambrose.
As for Davis she has a word of advice, so other won’t become victims of this silent killer.
“Everybody, especially the elderly, the ill and people with young children get a carbon monoxide detector. If you can, put one put one in each room because that’s really what saved our lives today,” said Davis.
She hopes you learn from her experience.
A carbon monoxide detector can cost anywhere from $25 to $70 and you purchase one from your local hardware store