CARBONDALE (WSIL) -- Staying warm in the winter has its risks. Emergency personnel responded to nearly 23-thousand calls involving carbon monoxide in Illinois in 2019.
With many of us cranking up the heat to stay warm, the state is asking you to remember the risks associated with heating appliances. More than just fire prevention, they say it's important to have working carbon monoxide detectors installed and checked periodically.
Carbondale Fire Chief, Mike Hertz, says it's important to know what causes CO poisonings so you can prevent it.
"Every appliance that has an open flame must have a proper ventilation system that takes the products of combustion from that flame to the exterior. So what we find mostly is that flu that carries those products outside of the house falls apart in some sort of way."
Hertz says the symptoms you should look out for largely mimic your typical winter time ailments. They include headache -- fatigue -- and nausea.
