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Two Florissant firefighters and a fire captain have been credited with helping save the lives of up to six members of a Florissant family who apparently were overcome with carbon monoxide poisoning.

Firefighter/Medics Eric Giessing and Mark Walter were dispatched to a home in the 300 block of Countryside Drive where they encountered two adults and four children suffering severe flu like symptoms. They were complaining of nausea and headaches.

Tom Stine, D.C. of the Florissant Valley Fire Projection District, gave the following account of events:

The mother thought they had eaten some bad food and possibly obtained food poisoning because of the rapid onset of their symptoms.

While they were interviewing the mother, the father entered the room and was so disoriented that he stepped on one of the children lying on the floor of the hallway. Giessing and Walter suspected something else was going on with the family and suspected carbon monoxide poisoning might be the cause and dispatched a pumper to the home.

The home tested positive for carbon monoxide. The monitor reading started to climb as firefighters approached the front door collecting 100 ppm. of carbon monoxide in the atmosphere.

At this point, Captain Burkes ordered everyone out of the house and the family was taken by ambulances to SSM DePaul Health Center emergency room. Burkes said that readings inside the residence was 560 ppm. and Laclede Gas Company was called to the scene.

Stine said the efforts of Glessing, Walter and Captain Burke helped save the lives of this family. He said this cause should draw the attention of the symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning and urged residents to place a carbon monoxide detector in their homes. “It could save your life.”

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