CONCORD, NH - Several people have been injured and one man has died in New Hampshire in the wake of Friday’s ice storm due to carbon monoxide poisoning from improper use of a generator.

At a bare minimum you must take two vital steps to ensure safe use of a generator at your home.

1. First never install a generator inside a home, garage, or any enclosed space – even if the doors and windows are open. Using a generator indoors can kill you within minutes.

   Generator exhaust contains carbon monoxide. This is a poison you cannot see or smell. The only safe way to use a generator is outdoors, in a well-ventilated area, far away from windows, doors, and vents.

2. Secondly, never try to power your house wiring by plugging a portable generator into a household outlet. This dangerous practice can feed electricity back into the power lines – enough to electrocute a neighbor served by the same utility transformer, or a line worker repairing "dead" power lines far away from you house.

   An improperly wired generator not only puts people at risk, it exposes your home and your generator to damage when utility power lines are re-energized.

   The safe away to connect a generator to your existing wiring is to have a licensed electrical contractor install a transfer switch. The transfer switch transfers power from the utility power lines to the power coming from your generator.

Using a generator improperly can be deadly to you and others. Please us the highest level of caution when installing and operating a generator in your home.