Warning after 'deadly carbon monoxide fumes' identified at East Sussex home

Newhaven on-call firefighter Tom Griffiths, along with safe and well adviser Annie Page recently conducted a home safety visit. They noticed the homeowner did not have a carbon monoxide alarm so offered to install one for her.

“Deadly carbon monoxide fumes were identified by East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service on a home safety visit, potentially saving the life of a woman who’d been feeling unwell,” a fire services spokesperson said.

"She said she had been told that her boiler was a room sealed one and so she would not need a CO alarm. The boiler was only a few years old and had been serviced within the last few months.

"However, when the team placed the CO alarm in the kitchen near the boiler, it went off immediately.”

Tom and Annie placed a second CO alarm in the room ‘just to make sure that there wasn’t a fault with the first one’.

“The second alarm also went off immediately,” the fire service spokesperson added. “The occupant said she had been feeling unwell recently, felt headachy and unusually tired the last couple of weeks.

“The boiler was fed by gas cannisters outside the kitchen window. It was immediately disconnected, and the boiler was switched off, windows and doors opened. They called the emergency gas number who were there within 20 minutes.

“The boiler engineer was explaining that he doubted that the boiler would be emitting that much CO but when he did a 15-minute sealed room test, his test equipment was showing excessively high levels of carbon mo noxide. He called out another engineer who would locate the problem and rectify it.”

The team called the occupier in the afternoon to check that all was well, and she confirmed that the engineer had found the fault and made all necessary repairs and made her safe.

Annie said: “This was a classic example of why CO alarms should be fitted for any carbon burning appliances, whether it be a gas or oil boiler, a wood burning stove or an open fire.

"If you smell gas or suspect carbon monoxide, call the National Gas Emergency Service immediately on 0800 111 999. This line is in operation 24-hours a day, seven days a week.”

Lisa Priestman, community safety manager, said: "Every year, about 20 people die from carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning caused by gas systems that haven't been properly installed or maintained.

"Many others also suffer ill health. It is really important to promote and or install carbon monoxide alarm when gas or other fossil fuels, like coal, wood or oil, don't burn properly, as CO is extremely poisonous.”

The fire service thanked gas company SGN for sponsoring the 3000 Firehawk alarms.

If you would like to find out more about a home safety visit, you can call the fire service on 0800 177 7069 or fill in an online form at www.esfrs.org/HSV. You can also carry out an online check at the same website address.

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