near miss

this was us, this year, March 2010.

we were in Tennessee, looking at Grad schools and having a great time. This was our last stop on our trip and so we were enjoying our stay and checking out the scenery.

I had just found out I was expecting Ayla right before we left for the trip so I was in that wonderful phase of being super tired and nausea.

It was a long drive home when we finally left Tennessee and by the time we got home, we were all exhausted. It was freezing in Iowa and so we were missing the comfortable weather that we had had in Tennessee. We did not even unpack our suitcases when we got home. We set them by the door, relaxed for a little while, put the kids to bed and then went to bed ourselves.

Around 1:00 am we heard a beeping noise. We had heard this before. It was an alarm that we had that often went through the battery to quickly and would beep until we replaced it. Seeing as we were both exhausted, Garran and I laid there discussing whether or not to get up and make sure it was the battery or wait till morning to change it. We both were so tired, that we figured we would just sleep through the annoying beep. After a few minutes of discussing it, Garran said that he was going to get up to check the alarm just to make sure it was the battery. He came back a minute later and told me that it said that we had carbon monoxide in our apartment. We both were not exactly sure what to do next, but Garran said that he was going to call 911 and try and talk to someone at the fire department.

A few minutes later the fire department arrived. We could hear this weird beeping noise as they were coming in the building and getting closer to our door. Finally we heard a knock and opened it. (I should mention that as soon as we got up and saw the alarm we turned the furnace off. It was 5-10 minutes after that, that the fire department showed up). They said that the beeping noise that we heard as they were entering was a detector they used for Carbon Monoxide. It was clear out in our hallway. All of a sudden I felt panicked. If they could detect it out in the hallway, how much was in our apartment?

when they did the initial readings, after the furnace had been off for 10-15 minutes, the fireman said that the levels at that moment were borderline of us needing to go to the hospital. my heart sank. i instantly thought of the boys. they had a bunk bed. that night they had both wanted to sleep on top, not 2 feet from their little heads was a vent just pumping out this gas. i had already checked on them when I first got up, but i went and checked again while the firemen were running more test. at this point they asked us to turn the furnace back on. when we did, their detector went nuts instantly. i could not believe it. there was no sign of any gas. no smell, no cloud or fog, nothing! their reading said that the level was well over 100 ppm. The paper they gave us had this description next to the column that said...

"over 100 ppm" - "We have detected a lethal level of CO in the building. Leave the building immediately! It is not safe to return until the source is found, repairs are made, and the building ventilated. Have all possible sources of CO examined and repaired if necessary by a qualified technician. Replace or reset your CO detector according to manufacturer's specification."

the fireman then told garran and i that we were very lucky to have had that carbon monoxide detector. it was one that we had purchased on our own. our actual apartment did not have one. he said that had we not got up to check the alarm or had we slept through it, the levels in our apartment would have been lethal within 1-2 hours. My heart sank again. Not only could I not imagine losing one of my children, but I felt sick at the thought off all of us passing away. I have to admit that both Garran and I got emotional. The fireman said that we should get the boys out first, due to their proximity to the vent. We quickly wrapped them up in coats and blankets and put them in the van. B was next. They told us that we could not stay there that night. Especially me being pregnant. So even though we were absolutely exhausted, we called Garran's parents, let them know we were on our way, and made the 30 minute drive to their house to stay the night.

The reason this came back into my mind and I decided to post is because now that it is getting colder outside we have our furnace on. Every time it kicks on, I have to admit that that night pops in my mind. Now I am super cautious. We have a Carbon monoxide detector upstairs and down. I will NEVER take that chance again. Things could have ended up so differently that night. I am thankful every day for my friend that encouraged me to buy that detector and that I was diligent about replacing those dumb batteries, even though it seemed so annoying.

Garran and I were both talking the other night about this and we both agreed that when we had told people about our experience, that a lot of people brushed it off like it was not that serious or that it was not big deal. it was!! carbon monoxide is nothing to play with. if you do not have a detector you should get one. it will be well worth the 25-30 dollars you will spend on it.

i am grateful that we were all ok. that we got up when we did and that everyone walked away without any serious injury.