Fire District Receives Carbon Monoxide Poison Reader

Paramedics from the Mehlville Fire Protection District will now be able to measure a victim’s level of carbon monoxide poisoning before they reach the hospital.

The district purchased the piece of equipment through a grant provided by Missouri American Water. The water company has a program that provides grants for local fire departments’ needs. Mehlville applied and received a grant for $1,200, the cost of the equipment.

“Currently, it’s very difficult for us to determine exactly how sick this person is,” said Chief Brian Hendricks. “They exert signs and symptoms of carbon monoxide such as headache, dizziness; this will allow us to give the information to the physician and be able to give them an exact reading of how much carbon monoxide is in their system, we currently don’t have that capability.”

Hendricks said the district sees an increase in carbon monoxide calls over the winter because of heaters and running cars. In 2011, they received 137 calls for carbon monoxide poisoning.

Overall last year, Board Treasurer Bonnie Stegman said the district answered 12,891 calls, averaging 36 calls per day and one every 40 minutes.