Most reputable Home Security Companies offer Home Alarm System monitoring packages that include Carbon Monoxide Sensors.  If you are looking for a CO Monitoring System that will protect your family and pets while you are away consider a monitored solution. The benefits of a remotely Monitored Home Alarm with CO Sensor is that if a centrally monitored facility such as those monitored by ADT Security will alert you and medical first responders in the event of a situation. If you return to you home to the sound of an Home Alarm System Alert and unconscious pets or loved ones it is too late.

Carbon Monoxide (CO) is an odorless and invisible gas that consists of one carbon atom bonded with one oxygen atom. Carbon monoxide is usually produced from the combustion of fuels that contain carbon, such as gasoline. Combustion often produces carbon dioxide, the well-known greenhouse gas, but in conditions where oxygen is of only limited availability, carbon monoxide forms instead. Carbon monoxide is toxic and can cause death in humans and pets if inhaled in high enough concentrations for prolonged periods.

The symptoms of mild Carbon Monoxide poisoning are headaches, dizziness and flu-like symptoms. Higher exposure can cause heart attack, degeneration of the central nervous system, and death. Carbon Monoxide can cause death in unborn children if their mother is exposed to the gas. There are treatments for exposure to carbon monoxide but prevention is by far the best approach to prevent Carbon Monoxide exposure.

The most common sources of Carbon Monoxide exposure are house fires, malfunctioning heaters or stoves, car exhaust, and propane or gas-fueled equipment like grills, stoves, generators, etc. Carbon Monoxide poisoning is the most common type of fatal poisoning in the United States, with more than 40,000 people per year seeking treatment in the US. About 500 people die each year from Carbon Monoxide Poisoning in the United States, not including about 2,000 people each year who use Carbon Monoxide as a suicide method.

Prevention of Carbon Monoxide Poisoning and exposure is a matter of responsible and informed use of fuel-burning equipment in the home and workplace. Learning how to safely operate grills, industrial equipment, stoves, etc. is a key element in any carbon monoxide strategy. It is of particular importance to ensure that fuel-burning equipment and heaters are functioning properly, and not to use the equipment if there are problems such as leaks. The first line of defense in a residential environment is a Carbon Monoxide Detector, installed near heaters or other gas-burning equipment. These devices sound a loud alarm if excessive levels of carbon monoxide are detected, giving residents of the home a warning that they should evacuate the area immediately.

Fortunately, Carbon Monoxide Detectors are widely available and quite inexpensive. Stand-alone models can be purchased for as little as $20, and can either use AC power or batteries. It is important to install and regularly test Carbon Monoxide Detectors, particularly in confined spaces or in areas that contain stoves, grills, or other common sources of Carbon Monoxide Poisoning. It is especially important to remember that Carbon Monoxide has no taste or odor, and cannot be detected by unaided human senses - “I don’t smell anything” is not a reason to disregard a Carbon Monoxide Detector going off!

Home Security Systems can secure your home and family as well as your home office. Ask the operator of a home business what they worry about, and the odds are good they’ll tell you it’s making it to the next payday, finding new clients, or just keeping the kids from driving them crazy during the workday. What these small, scrappy entrepreneurs have forgotten is that their home business needs security, just like a business operating in a more commercial setting. Imagine what would happen if a burglar took the computer you keep all your client information on, or took the file cabinet containing your tax receipts and forms - on April 14. Even the loss of a relatively minor item like a printer or fax machine can throw a wrench into a business that could take weeks or months to recover from. Home Security Systems with 24/7 monitoring are an economical way to secure you home office.

The first step in securing a home office is to get control of the perimeter. If you do not have a home security system in place, then definitely consider adding one, with special emphasis on the part of your home dedicated to your business. Depending on your needs, it might be possible to alarm and secure only the business part of the home, but that often isn’t practical. Security begins with the physical - check the doors and windows of your home office to ensure that they are heavy duty and up to the task of preventing intrusion. Hollow-core bedroom doors are no obstacles to anyone serious about breaking and entering. If your office is on the ground floor or basement, it’s worth investing in a high-quality window lock and/or a barred security system. Home alarms and home alarm monitoring are also a worthwhile investment. Don’t forget smoke alarms and, depending on your budget, fire suppression systems - a fire can wipe you out just as easily as a burglar can. Check your electrical systems to ensure you aren’t putting an excessive load on electrical circuits meant for a lamp or a TV, but which are instead supporting two color lasers and four PCs.

Once the physical environment is taken care of, make your home business more robust and trouble-proof. Ensure that all of your critical electronic files and documents are backed up to a secure offsite location. Web sites that will maintain your file libraries remotely have excellent unattended backup software; this investment of a few dollars a month could literally save your business after a disaster. Remember that a backup system that isn’t used is no better than no backup system at all - automate your backups, and periodically check to see that your backups are actually being written to the remote location. Store copies of paper files in an offsite location - you can do this cheaply by boxing up copies of your critical paper documents once a month and swapping storage space with another home business owner in the same state. (Don’t use someone in the same town or even worse, neighborhood - you don’t want one natural disaster to take out both offices.)

Have a backup plan for disaster, whether a burglary, a fire, or a flood. This can be as simple as having an emergency credit card and a standing reservation at a neighborhood office building that offers temporary rentals, or can be a complete and sophisticated emergency recovery plan. Remember that failing to plan is planning to fail!