By Sherri Zickefoose
Calgary Herald (Canada)
Carbon monoxide leaking from a hotel kitchen sent 16 people to hospital and forced 200 registered guests outside while firefighters aired the building Sunday.
Hotel guests eating breakfast, swimming in the pool and some still sleeping were rushed out of the Holiday Inn at Macleod Trail and 42th Avenue S.E. shortly after 10 a.m.
The drama unfolded as a handful of guests in the hotel’s banquet room reported feeling dizzy, weak and nauseated -- symptoms consistent with carbon monoxide poisoning, said Calgary EMS spokesman Doug Odney.
Paramedics arrived to treat a handful of sick patients, but quickly called the fire department when they suspected potentially deadly CO poisoning. Firefighters confirmed high levels of gas throughout the building, especially in the kitchen.
Firefighters searched the hotel room by room to ensure all guests were outside.
Two city transit buses were brought in for displaced guests, some wearing pajamas without shoes, so they’d have a place to wait for the building to be ventilated.
Many guests simply wandered Macleod Trail while waiting for the all-clear sign.
Paramedics assessed 45 patients on the lawn and transported 16 people with carbon monoxide poisoning to three city hospitals.
Using a brand-new tool, paramedics triaged the group with a device that measures CO in the blood. By clamping a light probe on a patient’s finger, they could assess which patients had the most serious exposure to CO poisoning.
The new life-saving equipment, known as a Rad 57 Single Extraction Pulse CO Oximeter, arrived in the hands of Calgary paramedics just two weeks ago.
“Hopefully, we’ll see them soon on every ambulance,” said Odney, crediting the equipment for the speedy triage.
Four patients with the most serious poisoning were transported in stable condition to Foothills hospital.
The remaining patients suffering minor symptoms went to Peter Lougheed Hospital and Rockyview General Hospital.
Carbon monoxide levels were over 1,000 parts per million when firefighters arrived. Exposure to such levels of concentration normally cause loss of consciousness within one hour.
The fire department will evacuate when carbon monoxide concentrations reach 50 ppm.
Fire department spokeswoman Deb Bergeson said the source of the carbon monoxide appeared to be a venting problem in the hotel’s mechanical room.
The investigation continues.
LIFE-SAVING TOOL
- City paramedics began using the Rad 57 Single Extraction Pulse CO Oximeter two weeks ago.
- The device measures carbon monoxide in the blood. This is done quickly and painlessly by clamping a small light probe on a patient’s finger.
- Calgary EMS plans to have all ambulances equipped with the device.