Winter safety tips from emergency experts

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PRINCETON — Winter brings all kinds of challenges, and not all of them are on the roads.

Kris Donarski, coordinator for the Bureau County Emergency Services and Disaster Agency, said there’s a lot of safety issues to consider when it comes to winter weather and people keeping themselves and their families safe.

In the home, people need to be especially careful of burning candles during the winter, Donarski said. People should never leave a room with a burning candle. They should also keep the wicks trimmed, so the flame is not too high.

Another important safety tip, especially in the winter, is to make sure smoke alarm and carbon monoxide detectors are in good working condition and to keep extra batteries on hand. Furnaces, wood-burning stoves and fireplaces should also be checked by professionals and maintained, she said.

Princeton Fire Chief Gary Hanna agreed with Donarski’s concerns, saying carbon monoxide can be especially dangerous because it is a gas that can’t be smelled or seen. At high levels, carbon monoxide can kills a person within minutes.

Carbon monoxide is produced when fuels, such as gas, oil, kerosene, wood or charcoal, are burned, Hanna said. However, if the appliances/stoves are maintained and used properly, the amount of carbon monoxide produced is usually not hazardous.

People don’t always remember that idling vehicles can also be a source of carbon monoxide poisoning, Hanna said. According to statistics, hundreds of people die from CO produced by idling cars. Unborn children, infants, elderly people, and people with anemia or history of heart or respiratory disease can be especially susceptible.

With the cold weather, people sometimes warm up their cars in their garage, but that’s a mistake, even if the garage door is open, Hanna said. The carbon monoxide from the car is warmer than the air, and it (the carbon monoxide) will rise to the ceiling and not ventilate outside, he said. When people close their garage door, the carbon monoxide can then seep into the adjoining house, Hanna said.

Just like using carbon monoxide detectors in the home, people should also make sure the exhaust systems on their vehicles are intact and working properly, Hanna said. If an exhaust pipe has a hole in it, the carbon monoxide may back up into the vehicle. Those exhaust systems need to be properly maintained throughout the year, not just in the winter, he added.

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