The Barren Hill Volunteer Fire Company in Lafayette Hill posted on its Facebook page this morning about a local family that was saved by a carbon monoxide detector installed just two days ago. The post is below:

At 438am this morning, our VOLUNTEERS responded to a carbon monoxide alarm in a residence. The occupants of the home, adults, child & dogs, were awoken to the sound of an audible carbon monoxide alarm that was installed two days prior. The family evacuated the residence and called the Barren Hill Fire Company.

Crews from Engine 29 and Tower 29 checked the residence with meters and found elevated levels of CARBON MONOXIDE on all three levels of the house. The house was ventilated, utilities and appliances were secured and the home was turned over to PECO and the homeowner.

Within the post, the fire company also shared safety tips in regards to carbon monoxide from the National Fire Protection Association:

-CO alarms should be installed in a central location outside each sleeping area and on every level of the home and in other locations where required by applicable laws, codes or standards. For the best protection, interconnect all CO alarms throughout the home. When one sounds, they all sound.

-Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for placement and mounting height.

-Choose a CO alarm that has the label of a recognized testing laboratory.

-Call your local fire department’s non-emergency number to find out what number to call if the CO alarm sounds.

-Test CO alarms at least once a month; replace them according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

-If the audible trouble signal sounds, check for low batteries. If the battery is low, replace it. If it still sounds, call the fire department.

-If the CO alarm sounds, immediately move to a fresh air location outdoors or by an open window or door. Make sure everyone inside the home is accounted for. Call for help from a fresh air location and stay there until emergency personnel.

-If you need to warm a vehicle, remove it from the garage immediately after starting it. Do not run a vehicle or other fueled engine or motor indoors, even if garage doors are open. Make sure the exhaust pipe of a running vehicle is not covered with snow.

-During and after a snowstorm, make sure vents for the dryer, furnace, stove, and fireplace are clear of snow build-up.

-A generator should be used in a well-ventilated location outdoors away from windows, doors and vent openings.

-Gas or charcoal grills can produce CO — only use outside.