Breakfast with Santa and CO

Mark Hunt

to a local volunteer fire department this morning where a "Breakfast with Santa" was being held to raise money for the department.

After a delicious scrambled eggs with pancakes and sausage breakfast, and the kids sitting on Santa's lap, we went to the truck bays so the kids could ring the bell on the fire truck. As soon as I walked into the truck bay I could smell exhaust from the trucks. I looked up and saw the huge exhaust fans, but they were not running. I happened upon the fire chief and began asking him about the exhaust fans. He said that they are activated by CO levels, how much he did not know.

Of course you all know what a nut case I am about this issue, so it will come as no suprise to you all that the chief got to listen to me for the next 15 minutes. He also happens to be the guy that sets up the training courses for the firemen.

We are going to do a little class for these folks.

BTW, I did not let my kids stay in the truck bay.

Mark H

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Larry (from OSHA)

Mark

> to a local volunteer fire department this

> morning where a "Breakfast with Santa" was being

> held to raise money for the department.

>

> After

> a delicious scrambled eggs with pancakes and

> sausage breakfast, and the kids sitting on

> Santa's lap, we went to the truck bays so the

> kids could ring the bell on the fire truck. As

> soon as I walked into the truck bay I could smell

> exhaust from the trucks. I looked up and saw the

> huge exhaust fans, but they were not running. I

> happened upon the fire chief and began asking him

> about the exhaust fans. He said that they are

> activated by CO levels, how much he did not know.

> Of course you all know what a nut case I am about

> this issue, so it will come as no suprise to you

> all that the chief got to listen to me for the

> next 15 minutes. He also happens to be the guy

> that sets up the training courses for the

> firemen.

>

> We are going to do a little class

> for these folks.

>

> BTW, I did not let my kids

> stay in the truck bay.

>

> Mark H

>

> _A

> HREF="http://www.heatinghelp.com/getListed.cfm?id=

> 238&Step=30"_To Learn More About This

> Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in

> "Find A Professional"_/A_



Larry (from OSHA)

Larry (from OSHA)

Mark

You mean you only hammered him for fifteen minutes? I think you're slipping man. I'm glad you had a chance to bend his ear and will be spreading the word to a number of people so directly associated with this issue. Way to go.

Larry (from OSHA)

Mark Hunt

I'm trying


to hammer the points home BEFORE their eyes glaze over!

I'm interested in finding out at what level the CO sensors activate the exhaust fans. Most of the fire departments that I have dealt with in the past had flexible hoses that attached to the exhaust pipes and were piped outside.

Always good to hear from you Larry!

Mark H

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Larry (from OSHA)

I've seen those before

and the one that I remember was able to be set and calibrated by the manufacturer. If I recall correctly, that employer was going to have his set to 35 ppm for compliance with the Minnesota rule in effect.

Larry (from OSHA)

John R. Hall

Nice story Mark

And if there had been a fire alarm during the event I'm sure you would have waited for the chief to return to finish your fifteen minutes! Keep up the good work, my friend.

Mark Hunt

Heck!


I would have jumped in the truck with him!

Thanks John. I sent you an e-mail.

Mark H

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Dave Yates (PAH)

good catch!

The snorkel tube exhaust systems we've installed activate whenever there's a call. As they pull out of the bay, the snorkel tube stretches to the door opening and pops off of the exhaust once reaching its max length. Still, there's plenty of CO introduced upon re-entering. Shouldn't be too difficult to add a door switch with delayed off sequence that will keep the exhaust fans energized for a few minutes. It's not uncommon for the sleeping quarters to be directly above the engine bays.

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Jim Davis

Exhaust CO Alarms

The CO Exhaust fan controllers that I recommend and sold for years (Macurco) activated fan contacts at 35ppm after 30 minutes or went into alarm at 100ppm after five minutes. Considering home alarms take 30 days at 30ppm and 90 minutes for 100ppm this ain't too bad. Not all commercial alarms are necessarily this sensitive.

Firedragon_4

Good call Mark and

thanks for the heads-up reminder.

I have a code seminar for 100 firefighters next month and guess I'll make it a two subject deal now, codes and CO.