THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, February 7, 1995 TAG: 9502070338
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY LARRY W. BROWN, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 91 lines
The city has received more than 250 carbon monoxide warnings since Jan. 1 under an agreement with Virginia Natural Gas to report all possible leaks of the kind that took four lives in December.
After that tragedy, the gas company and city officials revamped a system designed to alert code inspectors to faulty heating systems that might leak the deadly gas, which is colorless and odorless.
``We've developed a new procedure,'' said Dan Fickenscher, vice president of the utility. ``We're reporting more complete information to the city to make it easier to identify the problems.''
The 250 warnings are a marked increase from those in past months, said Sherman Edmondson, Norfolk's assistant director for codes administration. She did not have comparable numbers.
``I have no valid statistics,'' Edmondson said. ``But we've been real busy.''
On Dec. 12, Mashauna Dempsey found the bodies of her mother, stepfather and two half-siblings in their Park Place home. Officials said they died of carbon monoxide poisoning.
Investigators determined that soot and bricks had blocked the chimney that should have vented the carbon monoxide. They said the gas buildup in the house was five times the survivable level.
Relatives of the four have sued the landlords, the city and the gas company, alleging negligence.
Under the previous system, the gas company notified the city of only the most serious cases, such as furnaces with cracked heat exchangers. Now, all heating-system problems are reported.
A property owner or occupant can call the gas company if a problem is suspected. The utility then conducts an inspection.
If a furnace is tagged as having a possible problem, the gas valve leading to it is shut off by the utility, and the city is notified. However, the valve can easily be turned back on.
Gas company employees do not measure carbon monoxide levels, Fickenscher said.
``We're saying you have an unsafe appliance and you need to get it fixed,'' he said. ``Our report to the city is from a public safety standpoint.''
The city then steps in and sends a code inspector to the site. Depending on the severity of the problem, the property owner is given a repair deadline, ranging from 24 to 72 hours.
Edmondson said the city allows 30 days for nonemergency problems to be fixed.
``Once we set the deadline, we go back and check to see if the work has been done,'' she said.
If the occupant or homeowner refuses to repair the problem, the city can take him to court, Edmondson said. Extreme cases - in which a house is ordered vacated - haven't occurred so far this year, she said.
Edmondson said public awareness of carbon monoxide poisoning has prompted the increase in calls to the gas company.
Fire departments in South Hampton Roads also are hearing from more concerned residents who want carbon monoxide levels measured.
``The awareness has gone up tremendously,'' said Virginia Beach Deputy Fire Marshal Larry McInnis. ``We go out there and make the best judgment we can. We make a rational assumption and err on the side of safety.''
His department receives seven to 10 calls a week, he said.
Fire officials can use a carbon monoxide detector to monitor the levels in the home, but they are not equipped to repair a leaking appliance.
McInnis said more Hampton Roads residents also are installing home carbon monoxide detectors. But prevention, he said, is the key to stopping carbon monoxide leaks. As long as gas appliances are properly serviced, they are not dangerous. ILLUSTRATION: Norfolk's new procedure:
A property owner or occupant calls Virginia Natural Gas when a
problem is suspected. The utility conducts an inspection.
If an appliance is found to be faulty, the gas company ``red
tags'' it and shuts off the gas valve leading to it.
The city is notified, and sends a code inspector to the site.
The property owner is given from 24 to 72 hours to fix the problem,
depending on the severity. Nonemergency problems may be allowed 30
days.
If the occupant or home owner refuses to repair the problem, the
city can take that person to court or order the house vacated.
THE SILENT KILLER
KRT
SOURCES: Chicago Tribune, Carbon Monoxide Health and Safety
Association, First Alert.
KEYWORDS: CARBON MONOXIDE by CNB