Carbon monoxide: Finistère firefighters will carry prevention on their trucks [En vidéo]

Invisible and odorless, but above all deadly, it is the sneaky gas par excellence. Carbon monoxide, which emanates from defective or poorly adjusted heating installations, causes around a hundred deaths in France each year. In Finistère, in 2023, no deaths were reported, but firefighters were involved in 73 interventions, compared to 50 in 2022.

“The risk is not new, but this resurgence has alerted us. We believe this is linked to Storm Ciaran which left many homes without power. People used auxiliary heaters or old stoves to heat themselves,” estimates Marguerite Lamour, president of the board of directors of Sdis 29.

Four flocked vehicles

With the arrival of the first cold weather, autumn is a key period. “People start their heating system. And if there have been no checks of the installation, the risk is even greater,” explains Lieutenant-Colonel Jérôme Toullec, head of the Brest emergency center.

In order to raise public awareness, Sdis 29 has just launched a communication campaign. The deployment of four VTUs (all-purpose vehicles) in the centers of Brest, Quimper, Morlaix and Quimperlé will make it possible to convey the main prevention messages on the journey to interventions. At the same time, a press release will be sent to communities to encourage them to relay the messages in their publications.

The main tips

Headaches, dizziness, nausea and vomiting should alert you. You must then react very quickly, by ventilating, leaving your home and calling the firefighters (18 or 112). And to protect yourself from the risk, you must remember to ventilate your home every day. Above all, never block exterior vents or those of heating appliances. And remember to have your installations checked every year by an approved technician.