One Man Has Died and Four Hamilton Township Firefighters Sent to Hospital Following Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
One man has died and four firefighters were sent to hospital from what is believed to be carbon monoxide poisoning on Monday, February 14, 2022.
At approximately 2:30 pm Hamilton Township Fire Department was dispatched to a medical call on Evertsen Road north of Bewdley for a person who was vsa (vital signs absent).
The fire department has a tiered response with paramedics if there could be a time delay or depending on the severity of the patient.
Fire crews arrived first and started administering cpr (cardio pulmonary resuscitation) on the victim who was located in a large storage building.
A short time later a Northumberland County Paramedic Supervisor arrived on scene. When the paramedic walked into the building a carbon monoxide alarm paramedics carry as part of their uniform was activated alerting to dangerously high levels of carbon monoxide.
Immediately firefighters along with paramedics placed the victim on a stretcher and immediately took him out of the building to be treated further.
The victim was rushed to Northumberland Hills Hospital along with four firefighters who were treated for carbon monoxide poisoning spending several hours in the hospital.
The victim was pronounced deceased at the hospital.
Hamilton Fire Chief Kelly Serson said there were “extremely high levels” of carbon monoxide inside the building.
Northumberland OPP along with Northumberland OPP Criminal Investigations Unit are holding the scene.
On Tuesday investigators with the TSSA will arrive to help determine exactly what happened.
Carbon Monoxide (CO) is known as The Silent Killer because a person can’t smell it, see it or taste it.
Appliances in homes that can give off carbon monoxide are dryer, stove, furnace, water heater, bbq and portable generator to name a few.
When carbon monoxide is inhaled, it inhibits the ability of your blood to absorb oxygen and distribute it to vital organs like the heart and brain.
The lack of oxygen can cause critical organ damage and if severe result in death.
Serson pleads with residents to have a working carbon monoxide and smoke alarm in your home.
The symptoms for low exposure to carbon monoxide include shortness of breath, mild headaches and nausea.
Higher exposure produces symptoms similar to the flu: nausea, headache, burning eyes, confusion, and drowsiness. Eventually CO poisoning can lead to unconsciousness and death. The key difference is no fever with CO poisoning. The symptoms tend to disappear when a person gets fresh air.
Author: Pete Fisher
Has been a photojournalist for over 30-years and have been honoured to win numerous awards for photography and writing over the years. Best selling author for the book Highway of Heroes - True Patriot Love