A camping gas stove in the apartment almost cost a human life.
A two year old child had already passed out.
But paramedics were there on time and were able to save the girl.
Fürstenfeldbruck - Michael Ott, commander of the Bruck fire brigade, explains why it is so dangerous to operate gas appliances with the window closed.
Mr. Ott, was it the first time you used a gas stove?
The Yes.
But we've had a similar problem with carbon monoxide (CO).
At that time a craftsman had drilled holes in the chimney of a heater.
As a result, the exhaust gas moved into the upper rooms, and a man died.
Therefore we are burned children.
Does that mean that you are prepared for operations with a smell of gas?
We have a standard procedure for opening doors when nobody answers.
The emergency services always take a multi-gas measuring device with them to measure the CO content in the air, among other things.
The ambulance service does the same.
Why is it so dangerous to use a gas cooker or gas grill in an enclosed space?
It is generally incomprehensible why someone uses a gas stove in an apartment when they have an electric stove.
Combustion produces carbon monoxide.
This gas is lighter than air and slowly displaces the oxygen in the room.
The dangerous thing is that it neither smells nor tastes.
The CO attaches to the red blood cells, so they cannot carry oxygen.
You twilight away and it can lead to death after a few breaths.
That could have happened during the most recent mission?
Yes, luckily everyone was there in time.
At first we thought that there was another problem with the heating, then it turned out that an increased CO concentration was only detectable in one apartment.
It did not flow out of the cartridge either, but came from the combustion.
The gas cooker has probably been operated for a long time.
So hands off all gas-powered devices?
I would never use them indoors.
Even small gas-fired heating stoves should not be switched on with the windows closed.
The same applies to alcohol-powered fireplaces, which are becoming more and more modern.
In general, air needs to be exchanged with an open fire so that nothing happens.
A small gas flame under a fondue is the maximum.
