By Naeisha Rose
Two emergency medical technicians for the New York Fire Department were celebrated Saturday for saving four lives from carbon monoxide poisoning.
Zache Cox from Springfield Gardens and Frantzi Honore of Rosedale, of EMS Station 54 in Springfield Gardens, received New York State Senate Liberty Medals for saving four people on a call in November, according to the FDNY. They also received city and state proclamations.
The celebration took place at Station 54, 22-15 Merrick Blvd. in Springfield Gardens. State Sen. Leroy Comrie (D-St. Albans), Assemblywoman Alicia Hyndman (D-Springfield Gardens), Councilmen Donovan Richards (D-Far Rockaway) and I. Daneek Miller (D-St. Albans), and representatives of the FDNY were expected to attend.
On the night of Nov. 24, the two EMTs responded to a sick call at a two-family home on 192nd Street in Jamaica and noticed that the residents’ carbon monoxide meter read 600 parts CO per million, a high concentration, according to the FDNY. Carbon monoxide can cause throbbing headaches, difficulty breathing, confusion, loss of consciousness and heart problems, according to the department. There are no acceptable levels in a home, the FDNY said.
Cox and Honore immediately evacuated the four individuals and administered life-saving medical care to them outside the building.
“A tragedy and potential disaster was avoided by the quick reactions of these EMS technicians,” said Oren Barzilay, president of Local 2507, the EMS union.
The technicians cited the training they received in helping them to respond to the situation, Barzilay said.
A defective boiler was later determined to have been the cause of the potentially deadly leak.
Carbon monoxide is known as the silent killer. It is colorless, tasteless and odorless and therefore undetectable to the human senses, according to the FDNY.
The gas can enter your blood system when you breathe, and it will displace the oxygen in your blood, which is enough to suffocate an individual, according to the FDNY Smart website.
A general rule for detecting carbon monoxide is that if more than one person or animal becomes ill, but recovers after being away from home, then the gas might be there, according to the website.
Reach reporter Naeisha Rose by e-mail at nrose
