This past Friday afternoon, the power went out and our generator kicked on. About 30 minutes later, the carbon monoxide alarm started sounding.

With everyone rushing to finish getting ready for Shabbos, it would’ve been easy to ignore it. But after an experience we had this past winter, my first reaction was: everyone out of the house, shut off the generator, and call the fire department.

When they arrived, they found carbon monoxide levels over 40. Baruch Hashem, everyone was okay.

A few people said, “Just reset the alarm,” or “Take the battery out.” Please don’t ever do that.

Carbon monoxide is a silent killer. It has no smell, no color, and you often don’t realize there’s a problem until it’s too late.

If your CO alarm goes off, take it seriously. Get everyone outside, call the fire department or your local emergency services, and make sure the source is identified before going back inside.

Baruch Hashem, this time the alarm did exactly what it was designed to do—it protected our family. Don’t take your carbon monoxide alarm for granted. It could save your life.

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