Colorless, odorless what does Carbon Monoxide have to do with disaster preparedness? You may be surprised, or not...

   Carbon Monoxide, odorless, colorless and heavier than air, it's a stealth like invader we don't know it's there. It's poisonous to most animals and humans when it is concentrated in air greater than 35 ppm. Cattle produce it, most mammals do, in an enclosed space it is able to collect if there is no outlet.

Oh Oh, she's smiling. 

   Carbon Monoxide sinks, making ground vaults extremely dangerous, they have no vents and no air inlets or outlets. Any enclosed area is called a "Confined Space." Confined space training is mandatory for people who must enter these spaces. A confined space could be a tank, cargo trailer, processing machine or any vessel or room that has one entry, no vents, windows or fans. Most confined spaces hold a commodity, fuel or compressed gas.     Prior to entering a confined space the atmosphere must be tested to be sure it is gas free and the correct concentration of Oxygen is present. The confined space has an entry of some sort, normally it is an airtight and watertight type of "hatch" or a swing door that is bolted all around. Before entering a confined space for entry it must be set up, a person is assigned to watch the entrants, test the environment inside and keep track of the sign in and sign out list. The entry is typically called "the hole", the person assigned as the attendant is called the "hole watch". The hole watch must go through training, he has a lot of responsibility. No one is allowed in the hole without an attendant present, when the hole watch leaves everyone must leave the confined space. The attendant covers the entry with red caution tape, prior to that he takes a muster to be certain everyone is out. See what OSHA requires of attendants here. When the attendant returns he/she removes the caution tape, test the atmosphere of the space, makes sure everyone has their safety gear on, he signs them in the entrants must sign the muster sheet in and out. If an entrant collapses inside the confined space, everyone must leave, the injured person may be carried out if people are in there with him or her. If a person is inside the space alone and collapses, do not enter to help him out. There is a reason that caused the person to  collapse, it may be a deadly gas or all of the oxygen is gone for one reason or another. Many people have gone in a confined space due to someone being unconscious, many died with the originally stricken person. Do not attempt to "rescue" someone from a confined space unless you are a trained "confined space responder", a very organized and well trained group of people.
   

There are procedures for rescues, please don't take short cuts.

I worked in and around confined spaces my entire career, it's a dangerous situation that is made safer through training. If you come up to a compartment or vessel that is interesting, don't enter it unless proper precautions are taken. I worked in a plant where a man was killed after entering a confined space, everyone was on their lunch break. He went to the "hole" removed the red tape and entered, it was a very tall boiler firebox. The man climbed up four decks, the box was 110 feet high inside. A red hot "clinker" fell in a cyclone and filled the fire box with red hot ash, he did not live through it. A terrible avoidable tragedy, there is a lot more to the story but the gist of it is, don't enter without training and an attendant. But that's an industrial site, around the ranch, farm or home there are confined spaces as well, do not enter any space prior to checking the atmosphere inside.
    A garage is a confined space, a vehicle exhaust is carbon monoxide, if the car is running in a closed garage it is deadly. If there is a cellar or basement entry from the garage, CO2 will gather in the lowest places, your own basement could be a confined space. I've talked about industrial and outdoor confined spaces, there are dangerous spaces inside buildings and houses as well, that's best left to my next blog. The state of Washington has a great confined space website here.
    My intent is to raise awareness by mentioning some dangers of entering any unknown space, in three words "please be careful". It's extremely important that if you look inside a space and a person is down do not attempt a rescue, you will most likely die.
    Thanks for reading, commit this information to your memory, in a disaster evacuation there are many undefined enclosed spaces. Don't assume the spaces are safe, they are not. Please comment, tell me a story related or not, suggestions are welcome, I'm open to anything.

jimandkate  EmergencyKitsPlus.com  emergency kit supplies