Camping tragedy in Salmon Arm prompts safety warnings

“When we’re thinking about keeping warm, we don’t recommend that you bring your stove into your tent,” said manager of True Outdoors in Kamloops, Harry Gillett. “There are other ways to keep warm if you weren’t quite prepared for the temperatures.”

Gillett says keep the tent as dry as possible, change any wet clothing, and simply bundle yourself with extra blankets.

“A little trick I like is to heat up a bunch of water in a Nalgene (water bottle), having it in the sleeping bag with me. Nice source of heat without endangering yourself,” noted Gillett.

If you have a camper, many have furnaces that heat the space, and Fraserway RV stresses not to use anything else to warm up.

“Don’t use the stove or anything like that for heating,” said Fraserway RV general manager Mark Blondin. “They’re not meant for that. In an enclosed space, that’s why you get the carbon monoxide because that’s what happens.”

All the new models have carbon monoxide detectors and can detect other gases in the air to keep you safe. If you have an older camper, it is harder to detect. But the key is not to bring external heating devices into your trailer. It’s suggested you bring extra supplies to keep you warm.

“Don’t risk it. Bring extra blankets, bring extra bedding,” said Blondin. “If it gets too cold, sit in your car for a while, start the heater, but don’t fall asleep. Just make sure you’re doing everything, as much as you can, to be safe because it’s sad when it happens.”

Fraserway requires two-hour orientations to customers buying new RVs. But for those without the luxury of being briefed, it’s important to keep up on the latest safety measures when camping.

by Chad Klassen

Camping tragedy in Salmon Arm prompts safety warnings

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