Not Your Ordinary Carbon Monoxide Alarm

Submitted by Jeff Baker on March 1, 2010 - 13:21

Locust Valley Fire Department's dispatcher received a call at approximately 4:30pm for a carbon monoxide (CO) alarm sounding at a residence on Feeks Lane. Assistant Chief's Scaperotta (5401) and Greenfield (5403)were first to arrive on scene. They were met by workers who were painting at the main house on the property and weren't aware of an alarm sounding. After a quick check of the main house, it was suggested by the workers that the Chief's check the cottage at the rear of the property where additional work was being done.

Chief's Scaperotta and Greenfield, along with Ladder 546 and Ambulance 541, proceeded to the cottage for a routine investigation. The cottage was locked, so the crew from 546 forced entry to begin their search. Upon entering the cottage, the crew's CO meter alerted them to extremely high levels of CO in the house (over 500 ppm). The crew quickly retreated to the outside and donned their SCBA air packs and continued on with their investigation to find the source of the CO. Ex-Captain Billy Eliseo and FF Brian Plumb proceeded to the basement where they heard a loud noise which sounded like a generator. There they found a worker using a gas power washer cleaning a crawl space with all the windows shut and no ventilation. The worker was found in a disoriented state and immediately removed by Ex-Captain Eliseo and FF Plumb. Once outside, Assistant Chief Scaperotta, being the only medic on scene at the time, immediately hooked the worker up to a device that monitors CO levels in the body. The worker was found to have an extremely high level of CO in his body so the decision was made to have Ambulance 541 transport him to Nassau Unversity Medical Center for treatment in their hyperbaric chamber.

There is no doubt that this worker had only minutes left operating in that type of enclosed environment with those high levels of CO. Thanks to the quick actions of Ex-Captain Eliseo, FF Plumb, Asst. Chief Scaperotta and the entire crew on scene, this individual is alive today.

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