Baltimore County fire officials are visiting 11 county marinas during the holiday weekend to educate boaters on the danger of carbon monoxide ? a colorless, odorless gas that killed three aboard a cabin cruiser two weeks ago in Bowleys Quarters. Firefighters launched the campaign Wednesday morning at Parkside Marina, where two women and a man were found dead June 18 in a 30-foot cruiser that wasn?t equipped with a carbon monoxide detector ? a common oversight for even the most safety-conscious boaters, officials said.
“It?s a small piece of life insurance,” Capt. Lawrence Majchrzak said. “You think about it for your home but not your boat because you assume you are outdoors. But all it takes is a little bit to build up.”
Battalion Chief James Devers said 1 percent of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere ? or 10,000 parts per million ? could kill a person in three minutes. Gas meters used on the boat where John Marsh, of Dundalk, Laura Jean Gladden, of Middle River, and Patty Mae Vento, of Plantation, Fla., were found showed levels at 30 parts per million, the point when the fire department begins to evacuate buildings.
Devers speculated that the boaters, whom he called inexperienced, were running a generator in addition to using an onshore power linefor air conditioning. Exhaust from the generator could have leaked into the cruiser?s tightly sealed living quarters, he said.
“Anything with fuel burns carbon dioxide ? ovens, furnaces, hot water heaters, wood burning stoves, barbecue grills, even chainsaws,” he said.
Carbon monoxide is a common byproduct of the incomplete combustion of fuel. The gas displaces oxygen in the bloodstream and produces symptoms that don?t appear life-threatening, such as headaches, dizziness, nausea and confusion, experts said. On their boat Wednesday, Sandy and Ray Colombo, of Abingdon, said their cruiser is equipped with three carbon monoxide detectors.
Sandy said safety is a top concern on the cruiser, which she keeps stocked with lifeboats for all ages and sizes and fire extinguishers in strategic locations.
Sandy Colombo said the couple air conditions their boat on the shore power supply alone.
“It?s really unfortunate,” she said of the tragedy. “I would never go to bed with a generator running. That?s something they teach you in the boating safety course.”
SYMPTOMS OF CO POISONING
» Headache
» Fatigue
» Shortness of breath
» Nausea
» Dizziness
Source: American Red Cross
