Well, we just barely got the internet back at our house last week and I’ve been excited to dive back into the blogging world. Not so much for any of my loyal readers (thanks Mom), but more to use it as a way of journaling and recording the amazing times I have with my awesome kids and handsome hubby. Anyway, I felt pressure to make the first post after such a long break a good one. I can’t go for eight and a half months without posting and then post about what I had for breakfast. Well, no worries. This post is a lot more exciting than the scrambled eggs and hash browns my husband made for me this morning.
After canning applesauce all day with my fab sister (Thanks Tiff) I was putting my last batch on the stove to process when I hear beeping upstairs. I knew it couldn’t be my smoke detector because it wasn’t loud enough. I went upstairs to look around and the carbon monoxide detector was going off. I don’t know much about the CO detector, but I knew enough to get out of the house. Thankfully, the kids were already outside playing while Landon was doing some yard work because it was such a gorgeous fall day and Tiff had left with her girls a couple hours earlier. I went outside and told Landon what was going on. I decided to call the non-emergency police line. I told them what was going on and they transferred me to dispatch. It was then when I started to get a little concerned. The dispatcher got my info and said that they would send a unit to my house. Mind you, I watch CSI and Law and Order as much as the next person, but I didn’t know that a ‘unit’ included a policeman, a fire truck AND an ambulance. By the time I saw all that pulling up by my house, I started to get a little freaked. (I know, Daddy, we don’t say that word in our house, but I can’t think of another word to better describe my feelings) Back to the story. . .
The fire chief started talking to Landon and me while two firemen went inside our house with some kind of a sensor. Well, I knew it wasn’t good when they came out and that little sensor was beeping like crazy. The firemen didn’t say much. They just went to the truck and proceeded to get in their full fire suits, masks and oxygen tanks. They went back in the house and the fire chief starting asking some questions about what I had been doing during the day and about how we felt. I had a small headache, but I had figured that was because I had a 15 month-old who was teething and had been super cranky all day. Well, they wanted to check us out anyway. So, Easton and Averie and I had to get checked out in the ambulance. I’d never been in an ambulance before and I’m certainly not in a hurry to go back in one any time soon. The paramedics checked our CO levels and although they were slightly elevated, they weren’t high enough to warrant going to the ER or anything. They said the best thing was just to breath in as much fresh air as possible. The paramedics were really cute with Easton and Averie and even gave them stuffed animals for being brave.
After we got out of the ambulance, the fire chief explained that the elevated carbon monoxide level was caused by using my gas stove all day. Because the stove wasn’t venting anywhere except in my home, the levels continued to increase until my detector went off. After opening all the windows and letting the house ventilate, the firemen tested it again and said it was safe for us to go back in. It was quite the spectacle in our neighborhood. I am so grateful that we had a carbon monoxide detector. We just barely got it in January. They talk about carbon monoxide being the silent killer, but I didn’t ever really understand why until now. I didn’t smell, see, or sense anything out of the ordinary. I figured my headache was from trying to can applesauce on such a crazy day. Obviously now, I know different. I hope that whoever reads this will make sure that they have a carbon monoxide detector in their homes, especially now that the colder months are coming. I feel very blessed that my family is safe and nothing serious happened as a result. I know the Lord is aware of me and my little family and I’m grateful for His constant care and love. Please, get a carbon monoxide detector!
