Officials share generator safety tips ahead of power outages

BANGOR, Maine (WABI) - Hurricane Lee is possibly bringing some power outages this weekend, leading some people to use generators to power their homes.

To avoid misuse or dangerous situations, be sure to be cognizant of the generator’s surroundings and upkeep.

“The biggest thing with generators is you want to make sure they stay far enough away from the house, so you don’t want to worry about carbon monoxide fumes coming inside the residence or whatever location,” advises EMS Division Chief Jeremy Ogden.

“The other thing to keep in mind is that you don’t want to fuel them inside closed buildings. So always fuel in the outdoors, don’t want to fuel inside the house and make sure they’re properly installed and tested on a regular basis before using them.”

Ogden says it is important to look at your specific brand of generator’s user manual to ensure the practices and upkeep methods are correct.

When experiencing an emergency situation like weather, you do not want to cause another via generator misuse. So, be cautious of how and where you set up, fuel, and install a generator.

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