Check for Carbon Monoxide Monitors in Vacation Homes

Other posts by MountainMama

Two weeks ago a family of four fell asleep in an Aspen home — and didn’t wake up.

The Lofgren family of Denver was vacationing in the mountains for the long Thanksgiving weekend, after they had won the use of the home in an fundraising auction. Another family, who had later driven up from Denver to spend part of the weekend with them, found the Lofgrens dead in their beds. They had succumbed to carbon monoxide poisoning.

Investigators say that the bedrooms were two floors above a crawl space where some of the mechanical, plumbing and heating systems are located in the home — and that a “combination of errors” in the functioning of these systems caused lethal levels of carbon monoxide to form. Carbon monoxide is a deadly, odorless, colorless gas that is produced by the incomplete burning of fuels such as coal, wood, charcoal, oil, kerosene, propane and natural gas. Authorities have not revealed whether a working carbon monoxide detector was found in the home.

The story is tragic on so many levels, but for me, it hits home since the parents’ ages (39 and 42) and kids’ ages (8 and 10) are so close to my family’s. It also brings to mind the amount of trust we have when we’re staying at a friend’s home or in a vacation rental.

Would you ever think to ask your hosts whether or not they have a carbon monoxide monitor installed, and when was the last time they checked its efficacy? Probably not. The last time I rented a vacation apartment i did not ask if a CO monitor was on site, but you can bet I’ll check into it the next time I do.

When you’re staying at a large hotel, you assume that the smoke alarms, sprinkler systems and other safety measures are in place — after all, large properties have frequent health and safety inspections to prevent such tragedies. But vacation homes or small B&Bs? Maybe not. It wouldn’t hurt to confirm that their safety inspections are up to date. Once you’re at the property, look for working smoke alarms, and yes, CO monitors.

According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, 170 people in the U.S. die every year from CO produced from non-automotive consumer products, like furnaces, water heaters, ranges and room heaters. Thousands more are treated for CO poisoning annually. (Unfortunately, symptoms from moderate CO exposure mimics flu symptoms – such as headache, fatigue, nausea, dizziness; if you think you’ve been exposed, get out in fresh air immediately and seek medical attention.)

If there is any good to come from the Lofgren family’s early deaths its that Aspen has passed a law requiring CO monitors in every newly built home, and lawmakers are considering retroactively requiring homes to install CO monitors. There is currently a similar statewide law under consideration.

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December 17, 2008 | Filed Under Family Travel 

Comments

9 Responses to “Check for Carbon Monoxide Monitors in Vacation Homes”

  1. Heather says:
    December 17, 2008 at

    Thank you for this post – it is really timely as I write a blog for vacation rental owners and am preparing a post on safety issues. It was mainly covering smoke alarms but I will now change focus onto C02 monitors.

    This is a horrific story at every level, and I will reference your post in my article.

  2. Check for Carbon Monoxide Monitors in Vacation Homes | Traveling Mamas | developtravel.com says:
    December 17, 2008 at

    [...] Go here to see the original [...]

  3. Are You Giving Your Guests A Safe Night’s Sleep? | Cottage Blogger - Rental Resources for Vacation Home Owners says:
    December 17, 2008 at

    [...] read a post on the Traveling Mamas blog this morning that was a chilling reminder of how lack of attention to safety issues can have [...]

  4. Hollie P says:
    December 17, 2008 at

    We just stayed in a new Hotel in Colorado during Thanksgiving and I began to feel dizzy and lightheaded. I looked around for a carbon dioxide monitor because I began to feel this way after we had turned on the fireplace. I didn’t see one but my husband assured me they would have one, because it was probably required by law. We turned the fireplace off and opened the windows and we felt better. Does anyone know if Hotels are required to install them and if so are the checked during routine inspections by the fire marshall or whomever?

  5. Sarah says:
    December 17, 2008 at

    We have 2 carbon monoxide monitors in our house. Good idea to check out whether vacation rentals do, too.

  6. Kissimmee Appraisal says:
    December 18, 2008 at

    I think it is a good. idea to ask when booking a vacation home if they have them. Great post

  7. Orlando Vacation Homes says:
    December 18, 2008 at

    We think it is a good idea to have hard wired carbon monixed detectors in all vacation homes

  8. bebemiqui says:
    December 18, 2008 at

    I’ve been hearing about this a lot since we live in CO.
    bebemiqui82(at)yahoo(dot)com

  9. Guam-Hotel.Net » Blog Archive » Women, Travel and Hotel Safety: The Door Stop Alarm says:
    April 17, 2009 at

    [...] need to keep safety on the mind, especially while traveling. We’re physically weaker than men and we usually [...]

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