A few years ago, my friend Laura had a scary experience involving carbon monoxide in her home. Thankfully, Laura and her husband had installed carbon monoxide detectors in her house, and they were able to evacuate in time. I’m pretty sure that most carbon monoxide issues inside homes normally come from furnace issues, which obviously, isn’t an issue in Florida. But in the paper this morning, there was an article about a Tampa family being treated for carbon monoxide poisoning after they left a car idling in their garage for EIGHT HOURS! (Ok, accidents happen, but how the heck do you forget to turn your car off?) Salvatore Gagliardo is still being treated, but his wife and child are home safe. The couple woke up when the 2 year old awoke crying and saying he didn’t feel good, and they got out in time. That is one lucky family, because the story could have had a much more tragic ending.

It proves that we should ALL have carbon monoxide detectors in our homes - furnace, or no furnace!