Disasters are deadly after the event ends and the cleanup begins, this is one reason why they are.

Our self-awareness, self-reliance, and acceptance of our personal responsibilities are all needed after a Catastrophe ends and the cleanup begins. Earthquake, wildfires, hurricanes, plus flooding and more create dangerous situations after they recede. One of the dangers is Carbon Monoxide, (Carbon Dioxide is included along with this.) a threat that may be the furthest from our mind when returning to our homes. However, it should be the first of our thoughts when restoring utilities, cleaning up and rebuilding.

This blog was posted June 2017, its time for an edit and repost in light of the natural disasters we have experienced. Flooding is a constant menace, common after wildfires, hurricanes, and heavy rainfalls. Carbon Monoxide is a real threat often not thought of during times of stress while recovering and rebuilding, they are related to one another.

Carbon Monoxide, odorless, colorless and heavier than air, it's a stealth-like invader often we don't realize it's lurking in otherwise secure places. 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. All living creatures produce it, breathe in oxygen, exhale carbon dioxide, humans, reptiles, and birds alike. Rotting vegetation, burning fossil fuels, and electrical power plants using wood are other producers.

Oh Oh, she's smiling. 

The odorless gas sinks, making ground vaults extremely dangerous, typically having no vents, air inlets or outlets. Normally having one entry/exit point making them dangerous to enter prior to testing the space for oxygen levels (21% is normal, for entry 19.5% is allowable) and the presence of poisonous gases.

A ground vault is one of many spaces which is an enclosed area referred to as a "Confined Space." Confined space training is mandatory for people who must enter these spaces. Confined spaces may 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. Before entering one the atmosphere must be tested to be sure it is gas free and the correct concentration of Oxygen is present. When 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 entry it must be set up, a trained person is assigned to watch the entrants, test the environment inside and keep track of the sign-ins and outs of the people working inside. The entry is typically called "the hole", the person assigned as the attendant is called the "hole watch". They must go through training, there is a lot of responsibility. No one is allowed in the hole without an attendant present, and when the hole watch leaves everyone must exit the confined space. If the attendant must vacate his position he must account for everyone that had signed in to be sure they signed out. Upon determining the space is empty the attendant then covers it with red caution tape.

OSHA requirements of attendants here.

When the attendant returns the caution tape is removed, a test of the atmosphere in the space is performed as is making sure everyone is wearing their safety gear, only then will he allow the entrants to sign the muster sheet in. If an entrant collapses while inside the space, everyone must leave, the injured person may be carried out if people are in there with the victim. In the event 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 has been depleted 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 shortcuts.

While working in and around confined spaces my entire career, a dangerous situation many times are made safer through training. If one comes up to a compartment or vessel that is interesting, it must not be entered unless proper precautions are taken.

I worked in a plant where a man was killed after entering a boiler, everyone was on their lunch break, the attendant secured the entrance. The victim 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 an adjoining cyclonic separator filling the firebox 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 signing the entry sheet when an attendant is not at the post. 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. Some cellars and basements have entries from the garage, it is advisable to remember CO2 gathers in the lowest places, your own basement could be a confined space. A roadside ditch abandoned buildings, old storage tanks and silos are all suspected confined spaces. Receding floodwater may expose many more.

The water leaves soaked organic material, dead animals and stagnant water in low spots, basements and home crawl spaces are just two examples. Caution should be exercised if there is a need to climb into a ditch or pump house to secure valves or switches. Main breakers must be opened whether or not the power is on. A power outage is not a safe isolation for electricity as it may be restored in an instant, most of us know how it can return for a few seconds then off again. That is enough time to render a fatal electrical jolt through the human body, .2 amps are capable of killing a human being. If the smell of natural gas is detected the main valve must be found and secured, it is a worthwhile task for a homeowner to learn. Call the utility immediately to report a gas leak, then move far from the building as a precaution, if the house fills with gas an explosion is most likely on the agenda.

Houses can fill with gas and explode.

The state of Washington has a great confined space website here.
 
Every place in the world experiences catastrophic natural or man-made disasters, exposing many inherent dangers. Taking the time to investigate before entering will be worth the time, these dangers should be noted on the emergency plan of every household.

(FEMA's planning template Link)

Special tools needed to isolate electrical equipment, water supplies, and gas lines may need to be placed in the emergency evacuation kits set up by the door.  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, every year we hear reports of people "rescuing their co-workers only to be met with the same fate.
 
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.

JacquesLebec  EmergencyKitsPlus.com