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Rescue 2 responded to the home off Route 6 at 4:50 a.m. and found dangerous levels of carbon monoxide due to a faulty furnace, the Facebook post said.
Crews ventilated the house, and the homeowner contacted a repairman.
Related story: As Temps Drop In Connecticut, Risk Of Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Rises
"Thank goodness for working CO alarms! If you have any type of fuel-heating appliances, woodstove, fireplace, or attached garage, please be sure to have working CO alarms," the the Stony Hill Volunteer Fire Company said.
The Connecticut Department of Public Health warned that the dangers of carbon monoxide gas inside your home grows as temperatures drop.
"Everyone who uses oil, natural gas, liquid propane, or wood and pellet stoves should make sure that their heating system has been cleaned and inspected within the last year," the department said in a statement. "If the burning of fuel is incomplete, carbon monoxide gas can form and build up in your home."
The deadly gas has no odor: A carbon monoxide alarm is the only way to know if it is building up in your home.
If you have a carbon monoxide alarm, it is important to test it to make sure that it works. If you don’t have one, now is the time to purchase one, the public health department said.
Place the carbon monoxide alarm in your living space, preferably close to bedrooms or where you spend the most time. Another carbon monoxide alarm can be placed in the basement near the furnace as an early warning signal.
The early symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning can resemble the flu — headache, light-headednes, and sleepiness.
Carbon monoxide quickly gets into the bloodstream, where it replaces oxygen. If not treated quickly, it can cause brain damage and death.
If you think you may have carbon monoxide poisoning, get people and pets out of the house immediately. Once outside, call 911 from a cellphone or neighbor’s house.
For more information about the dangers of carbon monoxide, contact your local health department, or the Connecticut Department of Public Health by calling 860-509-7740 or visiting its website.
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