November 2008 - Posts
A Millstadt, IL, family was released from the hospital Monday afternoon after they nearly died in their house from carbon monoxide poisoning after an exhaust pipe in the stove came loose Sunday.
Bobby Wheat said his eldest son, Matthew, woke up about 6 a.m. with a pounding headache, went to the kitchen to get Tylenol and collapsed. Matthew yelled for help. His mom, Wanda Wheat, called police because her headache prevented her from getting out of bed.
"It would have been three generations of Wheats that would have gotten killed," Bobby Wheat said. "They said (the level of carbon monoxide) was pretty high in our system even with the doors open. We were all over 30 percent, and death can come at about 40 percent. If we had kept sleeping , we would have died."
Son Andy Wheat and grandson Austin Wheat, 9, also were taken to St. Elizabeth's Hospital in Belleville. All were released Monday at about 2 p.m.
Bobby Wheat said they have installed two carbon monoxide detectors in their Blackburn Manor home: "Everybody should have one. I know what it's like not to have it now."
After the one-year anniversary of the tragic house fire at 123 Bedford
Street (Madison, WI) that took the life of UW-LaCrosse student Peter Talen, Ald. Mike
Verveer, District 4, proposed an ordinance to require stricter fire-alarm guidelines and safeguards in downtown and off-campus student housing.
If passed, the ordinance would come into effect in August 2009 and require smoke detectors to have lithium batteries with a ten-year lifespan and feature a silence button rather than battery removal. The ordinance also requires landlords to place fire alarms in every bedroom and be tamper-resistant.
“What’s important is to avoid another tragedy. If the ordinance saves one life, it’s worth it,” Verveer said. “There is no price tag on a life.”
Although it is unfortunate that measures to improve student safety have to come in reaction to tragedies such as last year’s fatal fire and Brittany Zimmermann’s murder in April, at least officials like Verveer are taking appropriate actions in response.
In the Bedford street fire a year ago, the smoke alarms were not working properly, and one can only speculate whether or not working alarms may have saved Talen’s life. However, any improvements that do not put the burden on students to be responsible for fire alarm maintenance is a reasonable and promising ordinance.
Landlords should get behind this ordinance despite the extra costs to update their buildings. As bad as extra smoke alarm costs are for their pocketbooks, the stigma of tenant endangerment or death is far more consequential in the end. Students staying in off-campus housing live in predominantly older houses with much looser safety codes. Updating these buildings should not be a burden, but rather a necessary duty for Madison landlords.
Hopefully, city officials’ future updates will be active measures rather than reactionary safeguards following another campus tragedy.
Each year in the
United States, there are more than five million home burglaries. The majority of home burglaries can be prevented. The risk of being burglarized can be greatly reduced by taking simple steps to make your home more difficult to enter and less enticing to would-be burglars.
Here are a few tips to help make your home less vulnerable to a burglar.
ALARM SYSTEMS:
* Alarm systems vary from company to company. Check with your alarm company to make sure you are operating the system correctly. If there is any type of malfunction contact your alarm company for repairs right away.
* Always set your alarm when you leave the house.
* If your have a alarm company yard sign make sure it is visible in your front yard.
* Advise the alarm company to call the Police Dept. first, (then, the owner, a relative or trusted neighbor) if your alarm goes off. This will help speed up response time to the burglar alarm.
DOORS:
* All exterior entry doors should be made of solid metal or wood.
* Check to make sure that door hinges are protected from removal from the outside.
* Check the door frames to see if it’s strong enough and tight enough to preventing forcing it open. (Example: Body force, kicking it in.)
* Inspect all exterior door locks to see if they are working properly.
* The door strike plate screws should be 3 ½” or 4” long and screwed into the door frame for extra security.
WINDOWS:
* Check to make sure all of your windows have locks in good working order. Add window pins to help secure the window from being lifted passed a desired level.
* Your storm windows should lock from the inside.
* Check to make sure your windows are not blocked by outside landscape. This makes it easier for burglars to hide.
GARAGE:
* Close your garage door(s) whether you are home or away.
* While working in the backyard don’t leave the overhead door open in the front.
* Cover your garage windows so a burglar cannot see what’s inside.
LIGHTING:
* All exterior entrances should be lighted with at least a 40watt light.
* Check all the exterior lights and replace those that are out before the weather gets bad.
* Remove dirt and debris from all light fixtures to maximize the lighting.
* Try exterior dusk to dawn light fixture.
* Use interior light timers on some of your interior lamps and radio/T.V. This will help light the inside of your house if you get home late and it gives the impression that someone is home.
If you would like additional information on securing your home or if you would like an officer to conduct a FREE security survey of your home contact the South Bend Police Dept. Crime Prevention Unit at (574) 235-9037.
The South Plains, TX, Better Business Bureau warns home owners to check the credentials of security alarm company representatives before you let them inside your home.
The BBB says to call your alarm company to find out if it's time for a system upgrade. This comes after reports of representatives from a company called Pinnacle Security LLC going to homes in Levelland, Shallowater and Littlefield stating they're with Pinnacle. There is a Utah based company named Pinnacle Security LLC. There is also a Lubbock company called, Pinnacle Protection which tells NewsChannel 11 those are not their employees.
Ken Naunam, owner of Pinnacle Protection, says, "They're actually coming with our signs and introducing themselves as Pinnacle. They're saying that their system is out dated, that they need to upgrade into the new digital system, which is totally false."
Tuesday afternoon NewsChannel 11 spoke with the complaints manager of the Utah Company, Pinnacle Security LLC Adam Christian. He says that employees of his company are doing business in the Lubbock Area.
Christian says, "Sometimes there is an existing security system that is not then currently being monitored. We will then install a new security system with monitoring security."
The South Plains BBB says since Pinnacle Security is a Utah based company all complaints about it must go through that state's BBB's office. The local office of the BBB also says that it has received no complaints about the Lubbock Company, Pinnacle Protection. Pinnacle Security has a satisfactory record with the BBB of Utah.
At this time no Lubbock area complaints have been filed against either company in the Utah office.