How a battery can save your life
Dec. 26, 2019
It’s so common to get sick in the winter. Colds and flus are going around, so it may not be surprising if you or your family members experience headaches or fatigue. A flu might bring dizziness and shortness of breath, and other bugs can cause nausea and even confusion. But there’s something else that can cause all of these same symptoms and even death: carbon monoxide poisoning.
Carbon monoxide (CO) is that colorless, odorless gas that can emanate from fuel-burning heating or cooking devices if they’re not working right or aren’t ventilated properly. For example, when you’re out ice fishing, you might keep the place warm by using a heater or generator inside – but it could fill your ice house with CO. If you do use such devices, make sure they’re rated for indoor use – save the camp stoves and charcoal grills for outdoor use. Also, be sure your ice house is properly ventilated, and bring a CO alarm with you. It’s the only way to detect the deadly gas.
Denice Johnson knows this all too well. Her son Jared died in January 2016 in an ice house with heating units that weren’t properly ventilated. Since then, she’s been asking everyone — ice anglers especially — to educate themselves about the dangers of carbon monoxide and equip themselves with a CO alarm if they plan on spending time on one of Minnesota’s 10,000 lakes in an ice house this winter. Resist the urge to just grab a CO alarm from your house. Instead, buy a new one (portable or regular) that’s just for the ice house.
CO alarms have an important characteristic in common with smoke alarms: They can only save your life if they work. And keep in mind that cold weather can drain batteries much faster than usual. Even if you bought them fresh last weekend, they could be dead by this weekend’s fishing trip. Always bring fresh batteries with you. It could save your life.
