CO Detectors And Your Video Production

fire engine

CFD Engine 112-Tower 21 on the scene.

What do carbon monoxide detectors have to do with video production? Nothing. Consider this a personal public service announcement.

Last night, I got a call from Mrs. G that our CO detector was going off. We have a 2-year-old so it was especially concerning. They got out of the house and I went home to investigate. Our condo management team had people there power washing the garage during the day, so I figured that was the culprit and it was later confirmed I was right.

I opened all the garage windows, opened our home windows, but the detector wouldn’t shut-off. I called the fire department and minutes later Chicago’s Bravest were on the scene taking readings and not liking the results. They debated on evacuating everyone but decided to try and vent the building first.

Thankfully… it worked. They got everyone to open their windows, brought in some big fans, and the numbers started dropping.

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CPD fan venting our unit.

Our CO detector saved us

The firemen were glad we called and said if we hadn’t there’s a good chance we would have all gotten seriously ill. Our unit didn’t have the highest levels, but our CO detector was the first to go off. It flat-out saved us.

CO detectors are required by law in many cases and can cost less than $20. We got a CO-smoke detector combo for less than $50. WORTH EVERY PENNY!

A special thanks to CFD Engine 112-Tower 21. Total pros who did a great job venting the building and keeping everyone well-informed along the way.

–Tony Gnau

Tony Gnau is a three-time Emmy-winning journalist. He is also the founder and chief storytelling officer at T60 Productions. T60 has won 11 Telly Awards for its work over the last eight years.