Sending your child off to college is emotionally difficult for most parents. While our students are statistically just about as safe as being at home, our worried imaginations can certainly get the best of us at times.
For instance, while many young people may have developed some basic culinary skills, still others will have absolutely none, and the kitchen, as well as common areas with toasters and/or microwaves, can be a potentially dangerous place for the uninitiated, as well as those nearby.
Mistakes and accidents are likely to occur in a building with many students. Usually these are in the form of burnt popcorn in the microwave and the like. While these seem minor here, it’s enough set off fire alarms and empty a dormitory out into the night. Thank goodness for smoke detectors.
But what about those on-campus apartments with full kitchens, not to mention that there is almost always the need for a gas burning furnace in the dormitory buildings and their respective laundry facilities areas too. These come with the potential for carbon monoxide issues.
While most apartments and common areas are likely to have the ever-important fire extinguisher and smoke detector, my research and experience shows that not all will come with a carbon monoxide detector.
Carbon monoxide is a very dangerous gas that is colorless, odorless, and tasteless gas. It’s source is mainly from partial combustion of natural gas. The resulting gas is somewhat lighter than air and will generally disipate in ventilated rooms. However, carbon monoxide, when left to accumulate in a closed environment it can become a serious health hazard and even lethal in higher concentrations, just as it would be in your home.
With all this in mind, a good portion of our students will not necessarily have full control over how the rooms they occupy are ventilated and could, thereby find themselves in danger of suffocation (I have seen many college apartments whose bedrooms actually have no windows whatsoever. What’s up with that?).
Proper carbon monoxide detection is an easy mitigation. It’s setup and installation will offer you and your student the extra peace of mind we’re all looking for.
Out of my own concern for my student, I have spoken with some friends at my local fire department on the subject. They recommend the Kidde brand CO detectors as they had the best reputation for reliability:
For us, we decided to go with…
Kidde Carbon Monoxide Detector, Plug In Wall with AA Battery Backup, Test-Hush Button
This model, is inexpensive, and comes with all the better qualities of the other comparable units; it has great protection, the easiest installation, and would be the most reliable, inasmuch as it has two power sources.
Most colleges are not pleased by their students marking or drilling into the walls of the dwellings provided. In many cases, the school will fine the student for such things. This model plugs right into the wall socket. It also comes with a battery back-up, in case of power outages and the like.
For further model listings and comparisons, visit the Kidde Store on Amazon.com
In the end, it will likely never be a problem, and the detector will go unnoticed until it’s time to move out or when the unit lets you know that it’s time to change the batteries.
Still, it’s the comfort and safety we are after; and it’s a relatively small investment allowing us all to sleep a little better at night knowing our kids are safe.
My best wishes to you and your college student,
Berk