Dangers of carbon monoxide !!!!!!!

[Steve L]

I read our notice board on our site today and found a paper clipping displayed about a camping accident this weekend in the new forest.
A young couple had gone camping and used their barbie for tea and then because it was cool they left it in the tent. It gave off carbon monoxide which is undetectable without an alarm. Unfortunately the fella died, but his partner survived and was taken to hospital. it would of been two deaths if friends of theirs hadn't called by to meet up.
Now most of you will wonder what that has to do with caravanning?

Well, this weekend I thought a caravan was on fire on our site, but it turned out to be some fool using his gas barbie in the awning!!!!
Smoke was billowing out of the awning which alerted us. Admitidly he did have his side panels half down, but it was glorious sunshine outside! So there was realy no excuse to tempt fate.

 

[Dustydog]

Hi Steve
See this http://www.practicalcaravan.com/forum/equipment-accessories/bbq-fumes-kill-woman

Surely not another similar disaster

 

[Gafferbill]

……..we were on a site a couple of weeks back near Llandovery and we had been out for a walk one evening.
We returned via a footpath that joined the campsite at the far end from where we were pitched.
I glanced at our caravan in the distance to see what I thought was smoke billowing from it.
I raced across the site in a mad adrenaline fuelled panic only to find the guy in the neighbouring caravan was trying to light a barbecue!

Each to their own ..........but my list of why barbecues can be a nuisance is growing.

 

[Bigfoot]

After the recent spate of accidents and fatalities I have just bought and fitted a Co alarm. I mentioned this to my son who is a firefighter and he said only last night he went to a shout where someone had been overcome by Co. He survived luckily !!

 

[Mel]

Trouble with carbon Monoxide is that even a sub lethal dose that is enough to render you unconcious, can leave you with brain damage. Nasty stuff
mel

 

[David_L]

It is not only BBQs that cause problems, there was an inquest in the west country last week when a chap was overcome by exhaust fumes from a generator outside the tent.
It should be a minimum of 1 metre from the tent and his was only 1/2 metre away and there was no wind and filled the tent with Co

 

[NigelDonnelly]

All new 2012 caravans have to have a CO alarm fitted as standard. Information is here
Retro fit is simple and under £20...

 

[AKA]

The first thing ive done on my vans was put in CO detectors there are really good ones on the market, i installed a Kiddie brand that not only has an alarm and light but also "speaks" the detection,for both CO and smoke/fire.They cost us about £15 in Costco, and i think with especailly so many people buying older vans now for stay-cations they are a must because of the old rubber gas pipes that people dont replace on an annual basis as advised, and most "casual" vanners never bother with servicing which i have found to be a rather worrying eye opener. Its not a risk im willing to take.

The crazy thing is people are so ignorant about CO, about 5 years ago my MIL and BIL both for several weeks complained about severe fatigue and heavy head type headaches, at the time i worked in healthcare and brought home a CO detector that we used on smokers, only to test them and find that they were both showing readings of moderate smokers which neither were nor did they live in a build up city type environment. It wasnt till my FIL came home and called the gas board out that they admitted they hadnt had the appliances tested for a few years and the outlet flue was blocks and blowing fumes back in..

On contrast to that the amount of heavy smokers that I used to test, that actually had readings of medical CO poisoning because of there excessive habits was quite scary..

dont risk it..