Prince George County, MD – Prince George’s County police officer Ricardo Biddy was on the phone with his friend talking about their day’s work volunteering at the Seat Pleasant fire station, when suddenly Biddy began slurring his words.
He started mumbling about subjects that were irrelevant and then he went silent, said volunteer EMT Phil Martin.
Moments later, Martin heard the sound of vomiting on the line.
Martin immediately sprang into action, hoping to avoid a tragedy like those he encounters regularly through his work.
It turns out Martin’s quick work saved the life of his best friend. Biddy, who was sitting in his police cruiser in the driveway of his home, had suffered from carbon monoxide poisoning after the odorless gas leaked into the vehicle.
If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t know what would have happened, Biddy said Wednesday, when officials from the Prince George’s fire department honored Martin for his heroic actions.
Biddy and Martin have known each other since they were both 7 and members of a junior police program in Seat Pleasant.
The tale of one best friend saving another began early the morning of March 3. Biddy had called his best friend from childhood to discuss the shift they had just finished at the Seat Pleasant volunteer fire station, when suddenly, Biddy began sounding odd over the phone and eventually unresponsive.
It turns out a cracked manifold in Biddy’s police cruiser was leaking potentially lethal levels of carbon monoxide into the vehicle.
Worried something was wrong, Martin immediately called emergency responders for help while searching for Biddy. He knew Biddy was on his way home from their volunteer shift, so Martin began driving two routes he thought his friend might have taken to his house.
When Martin arrived at Biddy’s home, he found the police officer unconscious and slumped over in the cruiser that was parked in the driveway.
Martin administered first aid until EMTs arrived to take Biddy to the hospital.
All I remember that night is being on the phone and feeling kind of dizzy and nauseous, Biddy said. After that I remember waking up in an ambulance with an IV in my arm.
Several class-action lawsuits have been filed against Ford alleging that a problem with the company’s Explorers causes potentially deadly amounts of carbon monoxide to leak into vehicles and harm drivers, but Prince George’s County police said the cruiser Biddy was in is not the same model as the SUVs that have been reportedly causing problems for other police departments.
We don’t believe we have a fleetwide issues, said Deputy Chief Chris Murtha, head of the department’s Bureau of Patrol. We believe this to be a one-off.
Biddy had reported odors from the cruiser in January and February, said Maj. Jacqueline Rafterry, commander of the department’s fleet. In January, Biddy’s cruiser was taken to the dealership where no problem was found with the vehicle. The car was also tested again in February with no reported issues.
It wasn’t until the after the March 3 incident that police were able to replicate the problems Biddy had reported, Rafterry said. Another test determined that with the cruiser idling after Biddy had driven home, carbon monoxide made its way into the vehicle through the cracked manifold.
Biddy said he’s grateful for his friend’s quick thinking to avoid a possible tragedy.
We all have friends and we all have best friends, Biddy said. But to say that your best friend came to your aid and saved your life, it’s remarkable. I’ll be forever grateful.