how to protect yourself against this deadly gas?

The Ardennes firefighters carry out, on average, between 15 and 20 interventions per year for carbon monoxide poisoning. “They are rare, but always serious”report to The Ardennes Jérémy Pierlot, head of the Ardennes firefighters operational support group.

Where can you find carbon monoxide in a house?

Carbon monoxide is “the gas characteristic of incomplete combustion, explains Jérémy Pierlot. In a house, it can be found wherever there is combustion of wood, pellets, fuel oil or gas. Monoxide is often the sign of a malfunction. This could be, for example, a gas stove where we sealed off the air inlet because it created a draft in the legs…”

Thus the firefighter emphasizes the importance of “the arrival of air when there is combustion. In winter, we ventilate less, we caulk… and sometimes this can lead to poisoning. »

According to the fire brigade, a release of carbon monoxide can come from an old gas stove, a water heater, etc. The difficulty is that there is not always “warning signs” of his presence.

How to protect yourself against this deadly gas?

The best way to protect yourself is to install a detector carbon monoxide, “near where the gas is installed”. Jérémy Pierlot therefore recommends installing two detectors, one for smoke and the other for carbon monoxide. “There are some that do both, but this is not ideal, because it will not necessarily be installed in the right place in the home to best fulfill its function. »

Jérémy Pierlot insists on “the importance of achieving the mandatory interviews of its materials. For the gas boiler and the water heater, there is maintenance every year. You must also be vigilant about the air inlets and not leave a device in operation unattended at night. »

One of the recurring cases of carbon monoxide release is the start-up of heat engines in homes.“You should never leave your car running in the garageinsists Jérémy Pierlot. The most common case we encounter is someone who is renovating a house and using a generator inside. If you have to use one, you should always install it outside! »

According to the same principle, the firefighter insists on not “never light a barbecue indoors”. Jérémy Pierlot gives the example of an intervention for carbon monoxide poisoning for a barbecue carried out on a balcony. “It was located near a window and the smoke was entering the interior of the apartment”.

” It’s a sneaky gas. We may sometimes be able to detect it, with headaches for example, but this is not always the case. It can immediately cause very serious symptoms,” explains Jérémy Pierlot, head of the operational support group for the Ardennes firefighters. “You can be poisoned by carbon monoxide without realizing itwarns the head of the operational support group Jérémy Pierlot. In less severe cases, the symptoms are a headachefatigue, dizziness, nausea… There is a gradation. We then become drowsy, there is a loss of consciousness and then death. In the most serious cases, it only takes two breaths to cause death. »