Joyce sensed there was a problem, noting an exhaust smell in the home, and she also believed that Lynn seemed groggy and disoriented, which alarmed her. With her prompting, Lynn called the fi re department. His friend and former Fire Chief Don McConnaughy came to their home with a handheld carbon monoxide reader. While walking through the house, it didn’t take long for the meter to register startling numbers. Area Family Urges The Use Of Carbon Monoxide Detectors, Recalling When One Saved Their Lives BY NANCY GAGNET Much has happened in the lives of Lynn and Joyce Olman over the past two decades. They have celebrated family weddings, marked anniversaries, enjoyed nearly two dozen holiday gatherings with family and friends, and spent time on family vacations. Lynn also built a successful career in the insurance industry while serving as a state representative, during which time he was an active member of several committees. None of that would have happened, however, if Lynn had not installed a simple carbon monoxide detector in the family’s home, which ultimately saved their lives 23 years ago. On a snowy Monday evening on November 25, 1996, Lynn returned to his River Road home after a long day away. After kissing his wife goodnight, he settled in to enjoy Monday night football and a late dinner. Soon after falling asleep on the couch – something he said was not unusual – he was awakened by a shrill noise. “It only lasted four or fi ve seconds, but it was enough to wake me up and it woke Joyce up too, but then it stopped. Since we had smoke detectors and a security system, we couldn’t initially fi gure out where the shrieking noise came from,” Lynn recounted. While looking around the house, the detector went off a second time, and the couple realized that it was the carbon monoxide detector. “We had a cheaper detector at the time that didn’t have a digital readout,” Lynn said. Page 16 “I can remember him saying to me, ‘Oh my God, Lynn, get yourself and your family out of here immediately. There’s carbon monoxide fi lling the house,’” Lynn said. Carbon monoxide, or CO, is an odorless, invisible gas that is produced when gasoline, natural gas, propane, kerosene and other fuels are not completely burned during use. Automobile exhaust is the most common source of CO, but a gas furnace, small gas engine, gas range, generator or charcoal grill can also produce it. When appliances and furnaces do not function properly, or if they are not properly ventilated, then dangerous amounts of CO can build up in the home or other interior structure. When inhaled, the dangerous gas enters the bloodstream and replaces oxygen, which can lead to death by asphyxiation or suffocation. Lynn and Joyce lived in a home that was built in 1915 and had a gas fi re boiler. A cap over the furnace was clogged, likely from a bird’s nest, which caused the carbon monoxide to back-up into the home. The couple and their son Trey were taken to St. Luke’s hospital, where they were administered oxygen and safely released. They stayed at a hotel for a few days while their furnace was repaired and their home was decontaminated. “I will never forget Don McConnaughy looking very sternly at me and saying, ‘Were it not for that carbon monoxide detector, by the morning, you and your family would be dead.’ So that was rather a stark warning,” Lynn said. For Joyce, looking back on the situation, she realizes how dangerous it was. “In hindsight, it was really scary, but at the time, we were just tired,” she said. “Lynn’s a big guy and for him to be disoriented, I knew we had to call somebody. Being an insurance agent, it was indeed eye-opening and something he could share with clients as well. I swear everybody got detectors at that point.” In 1996, CO detectors were not as common as they are today, but an article in a State Farm newsletter prompted Lynn to purchase one, and he is certainly glad that he did. “My message would be to buy a carbon monoxide detector and make sure that if you have one, that it is operational. We live in a newer home now and have two carbon monoxide detectors that have a digital meter. They are incredibly inexpensive these days – for 25 bucks you can go out and get a real nice one that will keep your family safe,” he said. Each year, carbon monoxide poisoning is responsible for more than 20,000 emergency department visits, resulting in more than 400 deaths, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Americans ages 65 and older are among the highest number of fatalities. The symptoms of CO poisoning can mimic the fl u and include persistent, severe headaches and dizziness, usually affecting more than one person in an enclosed area, as well as nausea, vomiting and fatigue. Maumee Fire Prevention Bureau Chief Jim Dusseau said that any device that produces combustion will produce carbon monoxide, which is essentially anything with a fl ame in your home. He said incidents are more prevalent when the weather gets colder, like it is now. “A gas stove, gas dryer, furnace or hot water tank are the most common household combustible systems,” Dusseau explained. “We recommend testing your furnace often to make sure it is running properly, especially the fi rst time you turn it on for the season. There can be hairline cracks in the heat exchanger and it will let the CO seep outside of the chamber vent and into the home; or if a hot water tank is not properly vented – that can cause problems.” “Another common problem is bird nests in the chimney or fl ue,” he added. “That will create enough back pressure to push it back down and will keep backfl owing into the house.” Carbon monoxide is the same weight as ambient air and the dangerous gas will fi ll a home equally from fl oor to ceiling, Dusseau said. It is recommended to place a CO detector in a location where it can be easily heard, such as in a living room, family room or in a hallway near bedrooms. Dusseau does not recommend placing a CO detector close to a combustible source, such as a furnace, because over time, the detector could become desensitized. Carbon monoxide detectors are good for fi ve to seven years, he added. This article is reprinted with permission from The Mirror Newspaper. Note: : Carbon monoxide (CO) is an odorless, colorless gas that is responsible for more than 20,000 emergency department visits annually and more than 400 deaths. An inexpensive CO detector should be placed in a room where it can be easily heard, such as in a living room, family room or in a hallway near bedrooms In In 1996, a carbon monoxide detector saved the lives of Lynn and Joyce Olman and their son Trey. Pictured is the Olman family at a wedding. PHOTO COURTESY OF LYNN OLMAN
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