Poudre, CO – Holly Bianco, The Rocky Mountain Collegian
Early Tuesday morning, the Poudre Fire Authority firefighters responded to a report of a family feeling unusually sick.
“We found six people outside the home when we arrived; all six had signs and symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning,” said Jason Mantas, a public affairs specialist for the Poudre Fire Authority.
The family was immediately taken to Poudre Valley Hospital for treatment.
“When they were brought in here (the hospital) with CO poisoning, we gave them oxygen, and they responded really well and were released,” said Gary Kimsey, Coordinator of Public Relations at the Poudre Valley Hospital.
The fire authority later released a statement that said the home did not have a CO detector. This could have prevented the poisonings, and it could have given them more warning about their problem.
“The thing that a CO detector gives you is an early warning so that you can avoid a prolonged exposure,” Mantas said.
This incidence is one of many that occur in homes due to a gas leak or blocked vents.
“There are about 150,200 cases a year in the US where people actually go to the emergency room and about 400 who die,” said Mark Stutz, a spokesman for Xcel Energy.
Most people who are affected tend to be over the age of 65, Stutz said.
“When you have CO poisonings it attacks your cells, and when you give a patient oxygen, they usually recover quickly,” Kimsey said. “And sometimes they will even recover on their own.”