WALKER, Mich. (WOOD) — A family says the Walker Fire Department may have saved their lives when firefighters installed carbon monoxide detectors in their home.
It is a service they say no one should live without.
In April, the Mitchell family asked Lt. Dean England out to the house to install carbon monoxide detectors.
“They were here within a day or two and I wanted it in the proper place,” Jessica Mitchell, a stay-at-home mom of two, told 24 Hour News 8 Wednesday.
The Mitchells have an older furnace, but they're in the process of replacing it. Over the last few weeks, they have been feeling headachy and fatigued, especially 7-year-old Cyrus.
“My son felt not so great last night and this morning, so I kept him home from school,” Mitchell said. “We are set up to get a new furnace and we were going to tough it out until that furnace came.”
Then the carbon monoxide detector went off. They aired out the house and it stopped, but Mitchell was worried.
“I called the gas company first and they charge a hefty fee to come and check that for you, so she suggested I call the fire department. They were here within 10 minutes after I called them,” Mitchell said. “I think I didn’t call sooner because I felt like I was a nuisance but, man, you should call right away, because it could have been different and I’m so glad it wasn’t.”
Firefighters found levels at about 40 parts per million. That's not immediately dangerous, but can cause issues over time.
“Had it not been for the detector we put in place, this could have been a whole different situation,” England said.
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