EFFINGHAM FIRE DEPARTMENT - NEWS & ANNOUNCEMENTS - MARCH 2007
Carbon Monoxide Incident at Area Hotel
March 22, 2007Chief Joseph C. Holomy - Effingham Fire Department
On Wednesday, March 21, 2007 at 16:38 hours, the Fire Department was dispatched to the Holiday Inn Express Hotel at 1103 Avenue of Mid-America for a problem with a carbon monoxide detector. Employees of the Holiday Inn Express called on the private line at Station #1 describing an ongoing problem with the detector and requested the Fire Department come to the facility to check it out. Based on information in the initial telephone conversation, the Shift Commander responded to the Hotel to investigate with a carbon monoxide monitor.
Upon arrival, the Shift Commander had readings of over 190 parts per million (ppm) in the hallway and upgraded the call to a full response. Initial evacuation of all rooms on the first floor of the four story hotel was also initiated. On arrival of additional units and personnel, the process was started of taking readings throughout the facility and determining the cause. The findings resulted in the second and third floors of the hotel to be evacuated – readings in different locations were as high as 600 ppm. CIPS was requested to the scene along with Effingham City/County ambulance as a precautionary measure. Further investigation revealed a faulty heat exchanger in the pool area as the source of the carbon monoxide. CIPS red tagged the unit and shut the gas supply off until repairs could be made. Fire Department personnel ventilated the entire facility and continue to monitor readings on all floors prior to allowing patrons back into their rooms. Patrons were allowed back into their rooms on the 2nd and 3rd floors at 17:30 hours and the 1st floor around 18:00 hours. According to hotel management, the hotel was fully booked. Fire Department left the scene at 19:00 hours.
The health effects of CO depend on the level of CO and length of exposure, as well as each individual's health condition. Health effects from exposure to CO levels of approximately 1 to 70 ppm are uncertain, but most people will not experience any symptoms. As CO levels increase and remain above 70 ppm, symptoms may become more noticeable (headache, fatigue, nausea). As CO levels increase above 150 to 200 ppm, disorientation, unconsciousness, and death are possible. None of the employees or patrons in the hotel at the time had any signs or symptoms of CO poisoning.
Public Education Officer Dick Kenter credits the hotel with having a CO detector and calling the Fire Department when it activated. The outcome of the incident could have had a very tragic result had it not been for the CO detector activating alerting hotel management to a potential problem.