Carbon Monoxide Detector Saves Lives in Fla. Apartment Complex

April 25--When Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue responded to a 911 call prompted by a resident's beeping carbon monoxide detector, paramedics found an unconscious man inside a townhome and a car running in the garage, an official said.

"He didn't have a carbon monoxide alarm, but his neighbor did," Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue Deputy Chief Tim Heiser said after the gas poisoning that happened around 12:09 a.m. Friday at the Harbor Vista townhomes in the 700 block of Southeast 15th Street. "The neighbor's alarm saved everyone's lives."

The injured man was in serious condition when the fire department took him to Broward Health Medical Center to treat the accidental poisoning, Heiser said.

His identity was not released and his condition was unknown Friday.

"Many new vehicles run very quietly, or offer a keyless ignition, like with this car," Heiser said. "This often causes a driver to falsely think they have turned off their vehicles once they have parked in a garage."

David Masters, 24, said Friday he felt very fortunate that he had spent $30 on the carbon monoxide alarm that saved his life and those of roommates Joshua Kirsch and Alberto O'Naghten and a big, curly-haired dog named Graham.

"I highly encourage everyone else to get one as soon as possible," said Masters, who works for a power company.

He was getting ready for bed Thursday when the alarm beeped.

"I had two in my room and only one went off," Masters said. "It went off a couple months ago because of a low battery. My roommates came downstairs, it kept beeping and it seemed to not be a malfunction."

He had already checked his unit's garage "to make sure one of our cars wasn't on. I went to the neighbor's garage and put my ear to the garage door and heard an engine running. It was definitely real."

Masters said he called 911 and soon saw firefighters take an ax to his neighbor's front door before bringing in a stretcher for the stricken man. whom he hasn't yet met.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says 400 people die from unintentional exposure to the lethal gas. Until six months ago, Masters said he never thought about carbon monoxide or how dangerous it can be.

But his bedroom is next to his triplex's garage. And while playing Xbox, one of his friends teased him that he was off his game, perhaps because of carbon monoxide exposure.

"That stayed in the back of my head," said Masters. "It was actually a good point. My roommate has a push-button start [on his car]. The next day I got two [alarms]. I got kind of paranoid about it."

He put both devices in his room and thought they would never be used.

"Those were worthwhile purchases, yeah, I would say so," Masters said.

On a hot Friday afternoon, the townhome's windows were wide open, even though in the early morning hours, firefighters had brought in industrial-sized fans to blow away the gas and taken readings to make sure things were safe.

"What started out as maybe just a battery problem ended up as a near-death experience," Masters said. "It's the scariest thing that has probably happened in our lives."

He smiled at the suggestion that his roommates might "possibly" buy him some beers Friday night.

Heiser said had it not been for Masters' carbon monoxide alarm, "it is likely that we would have had another tragedy."

He was referring to when Louis Agro, 43, of Wilton Manors, was killed April 13 by fumes from his Ford Escape SUV. The truck had been running for about 12 hours in his garage, according to the Broward Sheriff's Office. Why the SUV's engine was running is unknown, but it did not have a keyless ignition, authorities said.

The sheriff's office and the Broward Medical Examiner's Office found Agro's death was accidental from carbon monoxide poisoning. Neighbors had discovered his body and performed CPR but their resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful, BSO said.

Before collapsing, Agro was able to open his garage door in the 2200 block of Northeast Ninth Avenue and may have helped save the lives of his wife, daughter and three neighbors who were treated at a hospital for injuries from the colorless, odorless gas.

TIPS BOX

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's website says lethal carbon monoxide gas is produced when fuel is burned by cars, trucks, grills, generators and furnaces.

Unintentional poisoning kills more than 400 people annually and sends more than 20,000 to the hospital, the CDC says.

Symptoms of poisoning may resemble the flu, and include headache, dizziness, vomiting, chest pain and confusion. Sleeping or drunken victims can die from carbon monoxide poisoning before symptoms appear, according to the CDC.

The CDC website, cdc.gov, offers these prevention tips:

Each year, get your chimney cleaned and have your heating system, water heater and any gas-, oil- or coal-burning appliances serviced by a qualified technician.

Install a battery-operated or battery backup carbon monoxide detector and check the battery during spring and fall time changes.

Make sure gas-burning equipment has the seal of a national testing agency, such as Underwriters Laboratories.

Never burn charcoal indoors or use a portable gas camp stove in the house.

After a hurricane or other emergency, use a generator outdoors, at least 20 feet from windows, doors or vents.

Never run a car or truck inside a garage that is attached to a house, even when the garage is open. Keep the door of an unattached garage open when starting a vehicle.

Ltrischitta@Tribune.com, 954-356-4233 or Twitter @LindaTrischitta

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