Who is The Silent Killer?

This killer can be in your home and you wouldn’t ever know it. You can’t see it, hear it, smell it, or taste it. This killer strikes fast and without warning. This killer can put you in a sleep you may never wake up from. This may sound like a horror movie but it is a very real danger. This “silent killer” is known as carbon monoxide.

Carbon monoxide is called the silent killer because it is an odorless, colorless, and tasteless gas which makes it hard for a person to detect until it is too late. It is produced by the incomplete combustion of solid, liquid, and gaseous fuels. If your appliances are fueled with gas, oil, kerosene, or wood they may produce carbon monoxide. Where the trouble comes in is when these appliances are not installed, maintained, and used properly which leads to the accumulation of carbon monoxide. No matter how well ventilated your home is there can still be places for carbon monoxide to accumulate.

Carbon monoxide is so powerful that it can effect you even in short durations with symptoms including headache, nausea, breathlessness, dizziness, collapse, and unconsciousness. Early carbon monoxide poisoning symptoms can even mimic many common ailments and may easily be confused with food poisoning, viral infections, flu or simple tiredness. Carbon monoxide also leaves your blood system quickly making it harder to detect.

Having a carbon monoxide detector is one of the most important things you can have in your home due to how difficult is it to detect CO. Crossfire understand the dangers of carbon monoxide and have developed the most technologically advanced carbon monoxide detector on the market. Not only is it the fasting responding CO alarm but it also uses the most advanced electro-chemical sensor available. Plus, this alarm also features supplemental heat detection to detect any increases in temperature that would signal a fire. Crossfire has thought of everything when it comes to protecting your home from carbon monoxide.

Keep yourself and your family safe from the silent killer.

Different Fires, Different Solutions

Were you aware that there are different types of fires? There are five different types to be exact. Were you also aware that water doesn’t extinguish all of these fires? Weird, I know but not all fires are created equal and in some cases you may be making the fire you are trying to put out worse. Let’s explore these different types of fires and the proper extinguisher to use.

Class A
The most common type of fire is from Class A and is fueled by ordinary combustibles such as wood, paper, cloth, trash, and plastics. Your best bet on this type of fire is water but you can also use a foam, dry powder, wet chemical, or vanishing liquid extinguisher as well.

Class B
This class of fire is fueled by flammable liquids and gasses such as gasoline, petroleum oil, paint, propane, and butane. These liquids and gasses might fall in the same category but it is important to know the difference in what can be used to put them out. With the flammable liquids you can use a foam, dry powder, or carbon dioxide extinguisher but with flammable gasses the only option is to use dry powder.

Class C
Class C is composed of energized electrical equipment such as motors, transformers, and appliances. It’s important to unplug or de-energize these fires as soon as possible. The best type of extinguishers to use are foam, dry powder, or vaporizing liquid.

Class D
This is the most uncommon type of fire and is made up of combustible metals such as potassium, sodium, aluminum, and magnesium. The only type of extinguisher that works to put out a Class D fire is dry powder.

Class K
When you think of Class K think of the kitchen. This is because this class of fire is caused by cooking oils and greases such as animal and vegetable fats. CO2, wet chemical, and dry powder are the best options for extinguishing this type of fire.

Spring Cleaning: The Forgotten Places

Spring is approaching and it’s a good time to start thinking about your spring cleaning. Yes, you can and should clean all the places you are thinking of but there are also spots around the home you may have forgotten about that need your attention.

Your fridge is the best. It’s where all your food lives. Considering that’s where your food is you should consider cleaning it. Not just spraying window cleaner on the front and wiping it off you need to get in there. The crisper drawers are something that you may have never cleaned. Get in there. You know that rubber seal that goes around the door of the fridge? It keeps the cold air in and it’s begging you to clean it. You might not be able to see this but the top of the fridge really needs a good scrubbing as well. Finally, the coils. The coils are what generate the cold air for the fridge and if you don’t clean them your fridge wont be as cold.

Cleaning Utensils
You would think that since these items are used to clean other things that they would be clean. Well, that’s where you’d be wrong. Mops, brooms, sponges, vacuum cleaners, dishwashers, and washing machines all need to be cleaned.

Tooth brush cup
This one will take you no time at all but it’s easy to overlook. The cup that you put your toothbrush in is gross and you should clean it. Seriously, have you looked in it.

Basement, attic, and garage
You typically store things in here but when was the last time you actually cleaned them? It’s probably been a long time (if ever). We suggest you take a look at these areas. Garbage and lose items tend to accumulate in these areas and its worth your time to clean them. It can also be a fire hazard depending on what garbage gets built up. It’s best to get rid of old paper and potentially flammable items.

Small Electronics
Your small electronics are begging to be cleaned. Your remotes have been sitting there patiently waiting for you to give them a quick spray. You should check out all the smaller electronics in your house including your fire alarms. You should also check the batteries in these items. If you had a crossfire alarm system you would have the piece of mind knowing that all alarms come with a 20 year LiMn sealed battery.

Ways To Keep Your Car Looking Fire Without BEING On Fire

During your lifetime you spend about 4.3 years in your car. Crazy, right? At some point while your driving you may have seen a car on the side of the road with flames pouring out of the hood. We don’t want you to be that person. However, it’s important to know that certain types of fires may be completely out of your hands. With these tips you should have a better understanding of what to do with your car, what to look out for, and what to do incase a fire happens.

Regular Maintenance
This seems like a no brainer but regular maintenance can prevent most future problems. Most car fires happen because of either low oil, fuel leaks, broken catalytic converter, spilled fluids, or electrical problems. With regular maintenance it’s possible to find these issues before they turn into things like, I don’t know, car fires.

You know the saying, “where there’s smoke there’s fire?” It’s cliché but there’s a reason why that saying is still with us. It’s typically accurate. If you turn your car on and you smell smoke or an acrid smell of burning wires, it’s a pretty good indicator that something is wrong with your car.

On your dashboard there is a little gauge that tells you the temperature of the engine. These differ in style based on car manufacturer but they all have one thing in common. Red is bad. If you are driving and your gauge is in the red, it means you car is hotter than it should be. This means you should stop the car as soon as possible.

Human Error
Car fires can happen because of design flaws, accidents, or simple human error. Unfortunately, things like this are hard to predict and can happen to cars that seem perfectly functional. If your car happens to burst into flames: turn the car off and GET OUT! Don’t be a hero.