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Firefighter responds to medical call, spots high CO levels

Lt. Ron Bryant was dispatched to a call for an unresponsive female when he smelled something off

By FireRescue1 Staff

MONROE COUNTY, Ga. — A firefighter that was dispatched to a home for an unresponsive person knew something was off when he smelled a strange odor.

13WMAZ reported that Lt. Ron Bryant received a medical call for an unresponsive 18-year-old female Monday.

“There was a strange smell as soon as I walked in the door, and within a few minutes I had a headache,” Bryant said. Lt. Bryant got the woman out of the house and went back in with a gas monitor.

“The gas monitor immediately went off at a very high CO level. It was 184 parts per million,” he said.

The source of the CO was an electric fire that had started burning the attic and melted insulation and glue.

“It’s called the silent killer for a reason,” Lt. Bryant said. “You can’t see it or smell it.”

The woman, who is recovering, had 23 percent carbon monoxide in her body, according to the report.

The home was not equipped with a CO detector.

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