August, 2005
Through the Ken Kidder Memorial Fund, the Double Angel Foundation produced 10,000 carbon monoxide (CO) warning stickers and brochures to be distributed to a variety of sources throughout Colorado to educate boaters about the deadly problem.
The Double Angel Foundation was started by Ken and Bambi Dixey in August, 2000 after their two youngest sons, Dillon, 11, and Logan, 8, drowned from exposure to CO while swimming at the rear of a houseboat on Lake Powell .
Kidder died in September 2002 from CO poisoning while on a father/son outing on a houseboat at Lake Powell. Kidder was clearing rope from the engine propellor that was in the space that became known as the “Death Zone” at the back of the houseboat.
Double Angel CO committee chairperson Jane McCammon was joined by Kidder's father-in-law and wife, Jim Gabriel and Renee Carey, to deliver the warning materials to State Parks personnel July 7. Denver's Fox 31 News taped the event which eventually aired July 27.
“This is such an exciting project, because it comes from families who have lost loved ones,” said McCammon. “Watching these families join up with the Colorado State Parks Safe Boating staff to save other families from the same tragedy is just wonderful.”
The
sticker and CO awareness brochure will be distributed to state park officers,
boating safety students (these are any child aged 12 to 15 that wants to pilot
a boat-required training for them - voluntary training for anyone else that
attends), United States Coast Guard, auxiliary boating safety course students,
courtesy marine patrol operations people, park visitors on Chatfield and other
public waters, and special event attendees (such as the Denver Boat Show).
While the primary source of funding for the brochures and boat decals was the Kidder Memorial Fund, partial funding as well as coordination of the project overall was provided by the Double Angel Foundation. Colorado State Parks, having also provided funds for the intial printing, will be responsible for getting the materials to the public.
Our brochure
and sticker program raising awareness of CO poisoning on boats
Jane McCammon joins CO committee
Death continues at Lake Powell
Click here to see how Westerbeke Corporation is changing CO safety standards!!
Double Angel CO Awareness Program
Some boat manufacturers making progress; Others lag drastically behind
By Jim Mack
It's been over three years since the tragic day when Dillon and Logan Dixey lost their lives on Lake Powell in an accident that never should have occurred.
Dillon, 11, and Logan, 8, drowned from exposure to carbon monoxide (CO) while swimming at the rear of a houseboat on Lake Powell. The fumes from the generator built up to lethal levels under the rear swim deck where the boys were playing. The rear-venting Stardust Cruiser the boys were swimming behind pumped out so much poison, the unsuspecting brothers never had a chance. CO is odorless, colorless and tasteless. The boys never knew it was there. There were no warning stickers near or around the swim deck or by the generator switch in the cabin, and now two terrific youngsters are gone.
So, what have Stardust and other major boat manufacturers done to correct this deadly problem? The results are mixed and some of the statistics are disturbing.
Despite being arguably the most publicized carbon monoxide poisoning incident in history, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) confirmed last year that since the start of 2001, a full five months following the Dixey boys' deaths, there have been four additional CO deaths on Lake Powell and 47 non-fatal poisonings. In the past eight years, 74 recognized deaths have taken place nationwide , including 13 on Lake Powell.
Some things about certain boat manufacturing companies we know.
For instance, Stardust Cruisers shifted from rear to side venting exhaust systems beginning in 2001. The company offers customers options for a vertical exhaust system upon request. Stardust authorities say warning plates that spell the dangers of CO poisoning are placed at each location where engines and generators can be started, and additional warning plates are located by the swim platform. Authorities also said CO detectors are found in every room on the houseboat.
Stardust conducted a retrofitting program in 2001, which urged boat owners to take the necessary steps to make their boats safer. Stardust paid for the servicing.
Despite some modifications made by Stardust, NIOSH reports have clearly indicated rear and side exhaust systems are hazardous and have proven to be deadly.
According to Sumerset Houseboats, the world leader in custom houseboats, beginning with the 2002 model year, all Sumerset Houseboats will come standard with the Sumerset Tall Stack Exhaust System. Sumerset said that over the years, it has been determined there is a potential danger of CO gas build up under the rear deck as well as on the back deck itself. In 1996, Sumerset converted from a rear exhaust system to a side exhaust thereby reducing the danger. But it wasn't enough, so the company went a step farther to protect consumers.
How does the Tall Stack work? Located in the engine compartment is a water/gas separator. This separator takes the water overboard and the CO gases up a tube and through the rear deck roof and out high above the roofline. This method dramatically reduces the potential for CO poisoning. NIOSH has tested and investigated the stack system and determined that the tall stack is the most effective control evaluated to date. NIOSH firmly believes CO poisonings are avoidable, and will continue collaborative efforts to address the best control device to eliminate this deadly hazard.
“We're so impressed with the results that we are making it the standard exhaust system on every Sumerset Houseboat for the 2002 model year forward,” said Sumerset's Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Lyn Turpin. “Every houseboat has rear flag poles, we've turned them into an exhaust system, and therefore we can assure customer safety from carbon monoxide poisoning.”
According to a NIOSH executive summary dated October, 2003, “the vertical exhaust stack has been retrofitted onto over 90 percent of the gasoline-powered generators used on the Forever Resorts houseboat rental fleet at Callville Bay Marina on Lake Mead near Henderson, Nevada.” These vertical exhaust stacks used on Forever Resorts houseboats were constructed from continuous aluminum pipes that extended nine feet above the houseboat's upper decks. The exhaust stacks were designed to comply with the recently revised American Boat and Yacht Council standards.
In addition, NIOSH has reported the vertical exhaust stack on Fun Country Marine houseboats has performed well in recent studies. Based on the results of this and previous NIOSH evaluations of the vertical exhaust stack, research indicates
that when properly designed and installed, the vertical stack is “a viable, low-cost, engineering control that will dramatically improve the safety of houseboat users.”
Bernice McArdle, Executive Director of the Houseboat Industry Association, said the vertical exhaust system is a positive step, but as an industry it can't stop there.
“We are constantly working to educate people and it's amazing what people don't know,” McArdle said. “We can never assume people know not to swim behind a houseboat when the generator is running. We pass out thousands of brochures each year through boat shows and safety groups. This is a grassroots campaign and we're all in this together.”
Nancy Remes, vice president of marketing for Sumerset Houseboats, said although the stack system has been a positive advance in regards to safety, the company would like to see improvements go even farther.
“We think there's even a better solution,” Remes said. “Some type of catalytic converter which drastically reduces CO in the exhaust would be the best method. But that's very expensive. The auto industry spends millions of dollars due to federal pollution regulations to refine exhaust systems to make them safer. Everyone has a car, not many people have boats. It's difficult for our industry to advance and improve the product, but we're working on it.”
According to Scott Ernest, Acting Section Chief for NIOSH, Sumerset, Fun Country Marine, and their parent company Forever Resorts, can be considered some of the leading companies that have come forward to make much needed changes in regards to CO safety.
“They are industry leaders on the cutting edge willing to make changes,” Ernest said. “We'd love to see the whole industry make changes. Many have made these changes, some have not. We are constantly collecting data to evaluate how these systems perform.”
In March 2003, a carbon monoxide workshop was held in Annapolis, Maryland sponsored by The United States Coast Guard Office of Boating Safety, Recreation Boating Product Assurance Division, and NIOSH. Ernest was present and reported on the effectiveness of emission control device (ECD) technology. This control can be classified as a type of catalytic converter specifically designed to remove CO. This device, when maintained properly, has been proven to dramatically minimize CO exposure risks. NIOSH has performed three studies of the ECD over the last several years. According to NIOSH, during the first study, results were “remarkable” with the device reducing CO concentrations in the generator exhaust to negligible concentrations. During the following two studies, results were mixed, and investigations are continuing.
NIOSH authorities said collaborative work continues regarding the ECD to identify the best solutions that will save lives.
Earnest said NIOSH feels very strongly about the data found on the stack system to date.
Tim Radke, Dept. of the Interior at Glen Canyon National Park, said education and
retrofitting the boats are the two key ways to improving safety.
“At Lake Powell, they're doing what they've been doing in the past with signage and handout materials, but there is certainly room to do other things,” Radke said. “The park's people are handing out these warning stickers to the boat owners, but we don't always know if the owners are putting them on or not. Hopefully, once we have companies like Sumerset making changes, others will follow suit to keep up in safety.”
Prevention
How can you prevent carbon monoxide poisoning on or around your houseboat?
• Install and maintain a working carbon monoxide detector inside the houseboat (remember, this won't alert people to dangerous levels of carbon monoxide at locations outside the houseboat cabin, such as the swim deck).
• Make sure that all fuel-burning engines and appliances are properly installed, maintained, and operated.
• Educate all passengers about the signs, symptoms, and treatment of carbon monoxide poisoning, especially if the houseboat has a rear swim deck or water platform.
• Watch children closely when they are playing on rear swim decks or water platforms for signs of carbon monoxide poisoning.
• Swim and enjoy other activities away from areas where gasoline-powered engines vent their exhaust.
Carbon monoxide from exhaust pipes of inboard engines, outboard engines, and generators builds up inside and outside any boat in areas near the exhaust vents. Since 1994, 31 deaths have been reported to the U.S. Coast Guard involving all types of recreational boats. The Coast Guard reminds boaters to be aware of the following:
Blocking exhaust outlets can cause carbon monoxide to build up in the cabin and cockpit areas – even when hatches, windows, portholes, and doors are closed.
Exhaust from another vessel that is docked, beached, or anchored beside your boat can send carbon monoxide into the cabin and cockpit of your boat. Your boat should always be at least 20 feet from the nearest boat that is running a generator or engine.
Slow speeds or idling in the water can cause carbon monoxide to build up in the cabin, cockpit, bridge, and aft deck, even in an open area. Wind entering from the aft section of the boat can also increase this build up of carbon monoxide.
The “station wagon effect,” or back drafting can cause carbon monoxide to build up inside the cabin, cockpit, and bridge when operating the boat at a high bow angle, with improper or heavy loading, or if there is an opening that draws in exhaust.