Carbon Monoxide
Carbon monoxide (CO) is an odorless, colorless, and tasteless gas produced whenever fuels like gas, oil, kerosene, wood, or charcoal are burned. We know it as the silent killer. You cannot see, smell, or taste it, and its early symptoms can pass for ordinary illness.
Preppers meet carbon monoxide in the very moments they plan for. A grid-down event sends families to generators, fuel heaters, camp stoves, and grills. CO builds up quickly when that equipment runs in a poorly ventilated space. The backup power that keeps a home warm and fed during an outage is also its most likely source.
CO is almost entirely preventable once you know the rules. Learn the signs of carbon monoxide poisoning and how exposure happens. Then build the habits of preventing carbon monoxide poisoning, from detectors to ventilation to appliance care. For the rest of your outage plan, work through our power outage safety tips.
