A properly functioning carbon monoxide detector prevented what could have been a fatal tragedy early Monday morning in Chestnut Ridge, a town near the heavily Orthodox Jewish community of Monsey in New York's Rockland County, according to Monsey Scoop.
At 2:30 a.m., the overnight emergency hotline of Chevra, a local Orthodox volunteer emergency response organization, received a call after family members were jolted awake by the piercing sound of their CO alarm sounding throughout the house.
Volunteers from Chevra arrived quickly and conducted tests using specialized detection equipment, confirming dangerously high levels of the toxic gas inside the home.
Given the severity of the readings and the immediate threat to life, emergency crews from Orange and Rockland Utilities, the local gas and electric company, were summoned to locate and stop the leak. Hatzalah EMS, a volunteer emergency medical service serving the Orthodox community, also responded to the scene.
Hatzalah medics provided on-site medical assessment and treatment to all residents. In total, eleven family members who were in the home during the incident and exposed to elevated carbon monoxide levels received appropriate medical care.
Those familiar with the incident emphasized that without the alarm's warning waking the family in the middle of the night, the outcome could have been catastrophic. Carbon monoxide is known as a silent killer because it is completely odorless, colorless, and tasteless, and does not irritate the respiratory system. These characteristics mean victims are entirely unaware of its presence, and it can cause loss of consciousness and severe harm within a short time without any advance warning, unless a functioning detector is installed.
