On Saturday, December 7, 2024, at 2208 hours (10:08pm), Company 1 was dispatched for a reported CO alarm activation with a sick person on Larchmont Road in Holiday Beach. Engine 12 (E12) Paramedic Ambulance 219 (PA 219) and Chief 1A responded.

Crews arrived to find the occupant in the driveway stating her carbon monoxide (CO) alarm started sounding as she was getting ready for bed and she was under the weather. Chief 1A assumed command. The occupant was directed to PA219, who began assessing the occupant.

E12’s crew approached the house in full PPE and heard the CO alarm sounding. They inserted a four gas meter into the house and noted a CO level of 15 and climbing. The crew donned their SCBA and made entry to further investigate. The CO reading continued to climb on the meter, peaking at 48 parts per million (ppm), more than four times the safe level. While investigating, the crew found a burner on the gas stove partially turned on. The crew turned the burner off and began opening windows to ventilate the structure. CO levels dropped to zero on the meter after approximately 20 minutes of ventilation and the CO detector stopped sounding. E12’s crew then closed the house up and re-checked for CO accumulation. None was found.

The occupant advised she had prepared dinner around 5pm but thought she had turned the burner off. She was transported to Calvert Health Medical Center as a precaution.

We are thankful the incident had a happy ending. All residents are advised to check their detectors (smoke and CO) regularly, and call 911 immediately if a detector activates. Also, we want to remind everyone that CO is a colorless, odorless gas that can be hazardous to you. According to the World Health Organization:

0–9 ppm: No health risk
10–29 ppm: Chronic problems like headaches and nausea may occur over long-term exposure
30–35 ppm: Flu-like symptoms may develop, especially in the elderly and young
36–99 ppm: Flu-like symptoms may occur in everyone, along with nausea, headaches, fatigue, or vomiting
100+ ppm: Severe symptoms may occur, including confusion, intense headaches, brain damage, coma, and/or death.