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Show jesjpaps furneoHaulty furnace; "illiiiimpiiaii By GARY R. BLODGETT ; f VAL -VERDA - The narrow escape of a Davis County family ' - after being overcome with carbon monoxide rwisoning from a faulty furnace can lead to the safety of others m a similar situation, according accor-ding to local officials. ' Five members of the John Martin famUy. 3083 S. 400 West in; the Val Verda area, were in serious condition in two Salt Lake City hospitals following the near-tragedy last Tuesday, but all five have fully recovered, said die father. "We are lucky to be alive, and I 7 wouldn't want to see this type, of - 1 1 ' " thing happen to any other family," ' said Martin. "We had become very - seriously ill, find if it had not been- -for the quick response of the Davis '. , County Paramedics, we might not be here today.' Martin said It all happened when i the family started a fire in the fireplace . Monday night and then did not shut the flue when they retired for the night . ' It was discovered later that the furnace combustion area had ' become plugged with soot and was causing carbon monoxide gas to escape into the home. ' - "We had bad air from the fur-- s nace, and oxygen from inside escap-' - ing out the firepbes chLr.ney," said WTvV.litf:-.! .iVjf,-? fj..;,.;. i Martin. "Slowly the oxygen content con-tent became less and less until the family wasovercome." ' . He said some family members -his wife, Dianne, 39, and daughter, - : Jennifer, were the first to feel the ill - effects' of the carbon monoxide. They both became sick to their stomach; felt lightheaded and suf- ' fercd severe headaches. "QAerSLin .'.the family did not get sick until later in the night but by morning all of us were quite ill., I cl:I 911, , and the paramedics rcended within just a few minutes," said Martin. '- "By this time we were all on the verge of passing out Jason, aged 1?, was too sick to walk and crawU- : .:( , ''".'4..- i.' ,V 1 ,' f . . ' ,. :.v: .1 -".;' ' 'i : --:iyy'i;y?yt7i- ed into the living room where I had opened the two outside doors to let in all the fresh air we could get "I tried to get the family outside and into the car to go the hospital but by now I, too, was getting seriously seri-ously ilL Had the paramedics not come immediately, we would have attpassedout" v - ; ' ;: ' Martin cautioned that anyone who becomes ill with nausea and headache seriously consider carbon monoxide, and not just relate it to Something the family might have eaten. "Don't take any chances, get fresh air immediately, he said. "In the hospital we were told of a y it ON PAGE 2 :.-,:f :!:-.""- " -"V'-' S!" ' - ' ,f 5 escape fumes of faulty f urnace CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 family which had been overcome with carbon monoxide and two infants in-fants died and the parents were in a coma. It can happen to anyone." Martin said he had corrected the problems which had caused his family to be overcome. "I'm going to have the furnace inspected every year and replace any used parts that may be a potential hazard." Paramedics responding to the emergency said they found the family seriously ill, with three too sick to walk. They were- treated at the scene and taken to lakeview Hospital before being transferred to LDS and Primary Children's Hospital Paramedics said the entire family was very close to asphyxiation and if Martin hadn't called when he did, he probably would have become disoriented from the carbon monoxide monox-ide fumes and very soon would have been unable to call for help. |