If you’ve lived in Florida any length of time, you have probably had an interaction or two with portable generators.

▶ LISTEN TO ORLANDO’S MORNING NEWS EXPRESS PODCAST ON WDBO

The devices that during hurricane season can be indispensable when it comes to maintaining your sanity during black outs or the tool you need to keep the party going for a great tailgate. But the useful resource can far too often have deadly effects.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) finds that portable generators are associated with 40% of carbon monoxide deaths related to consumer products since 2009.

And according to Centers for Disease Control (CDC) data, that ends up being around 100 people annually dying from carbon monoxide poisoning associated with these devices.

READ: Hurricane Melissa leaves trail of destruction across Cuba, Haiti and Jamaica

The team at the Portable Generators Manufacturers’ Association (PGMA) are looking to curb those preventable deaths this November with their annual “Take It Outside” campaign.

“Every year, lives are lost due to portable generator misuse — and most of those tragedies are preventable,” said Guillermo Rodriguez, PGMA’s Marketing Committee Chair and national spokesperson. “Carbon monoxide awareness begins with proper generator use: always outside, always far from any dwelling.”

Some of the general tips for protecting yourself against carbon monoxide poisoning is using tools like generators in well ventilated areas and away from air handlers, utilize auto shutoff features found on many generators, and to use a smoke/CO detector in your home and to ensure they are tested and batteries are changed twice yearly. Even recommended to be changed at the time changes in the fall and spring.

For more information on the “Take It Outside” program, click here.

Click here to download our free news, weather and traffic app. And click here to subscribe to our daily 3 Big Things newsletter.