No Power? Keep the Air Safe

Carbon monoxide (CO) has no smell or color. During an outage, put fuel-burning equipment outside: a generator more than 20 feet from windows, doors, and vents; camp stoves and charcoal grills outdoors and away from windows. Never use a gas oven or stovetop to heat the home. 12

Cover both alarm rules: install working CO detectors on every level and near every sleeping area, using battery-operated or battery-backup units. If an alarm sounds—or someone has headache, dizziness, weakness, upset stomach, vomiting, chest pain, or confusion—leave immediately for fresh air and call emergency services. 2

The sensible prep is pleasantly boring: put the detector batteries, a flashlight, and the 20-foot rule on the same outage checklist.