Waukegan, IL- A Waukegan couple was flown to a hospital Wednesday morning for treatment of carbon monoxide poisoning, according to officials.
Michael Scholle, spokesman for the Waukegan Fire Department, said an ambulance was sent about 7 a.m. to a home in the 2800 block of Nemesis Avenue after someone inside called 911 to report dizziness and other health problems.
Paramedics arrived to find a carbon monoxide (CO) reading to be 150 parts per million inside the home, officials said.
“That high a reading would be very dangerous. They were very, very lucky,” said Scholle, adding that the home did not have a carbon monoxide detector.
The couple, described as in middle-age, was flown to an undisclosed hospital for treatment in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber.
Fire Chief George Bridges said the incident remains under investigation, but a preliminary review indicates that the CO may have come from a faulty exhaust fan.
“We continue to stress the need for smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors to be installed in all homes,” Bridges said in a statement.
The Waukegan Fire Department offers free combination smoke/CO detectors to interested homeowners at educational community events. This year, the department is giving away 50 combination detectors at no cost. Anyone interested in getting one can call the Fire Prevention Bureau at (847) 249-5410.
“If there is a fire in your home, smoke spreads fast and you need smoke alarms to give you time to get out. In fact, having a working smoke alarm cuts the chances of dying in a reported fire in half,” Bridges said.
Noting that October is Fire Prevention Month, Scholle said this year’s message was getting people to install smoke alarms or combination detectors in each separate sleeping area in a home. There should be one on every level of a home, including the basement, fire officials said.
“The message is hear the beep where you sleep,” Scholle said.
A Highland Park couple died of CO poisoning in June after their keyless car was left running in the garage, according to the Lake County authorities. The last CO-related death in Waukegan was in March 2012.