Dining EMTs Save Applebee’s Patrons, Staff From Carbon Monoxide Leak


A pair of Long Island EMTs saved Applebee’s patrons and staff after the two men detected a carbon monoxide leak inside the restaurant.

The two, Justin Gau, 18, and Kyle Page, 22, were out on their dinner break when they heard their handheld carbon monoxide detectors going off, which lead the EMTs to save Applebee’s staff and patrons according to a WABC-TV report.

“‘As we’re walking to our seats, the CO detector goes off,’ Page said.

“Their handheld carbon monoxide alarm went crazy, showing readings twice the acceptable limit.

“‘You could hear it throughout the whole restaurant,’ Gau said. ‘So everybody was staring at us.’

“They still weren’t sure, though, if it was a malfunction.

“‘I made Justin go outside once or twice to reset it to make sure it was functioning before we screwed up everyone’s evening,’ Page said.

“It turned out the sensor was fine, and it was the restaurant’s hot water heater that went haywire, pumping out huge quantities of the odorless, colorless and deadly gas.”

In all, The Huffington Post said the pair of EMTs saved about 100 Applebee’s patrons and staff after they were able to confirm the CO detectors were functioning properly.

The Huffington Post went on to report that the carbon monoxide levels in the restaurant were actually high enough to cause death had the men not entered and sprung into action, evacuating staff and patrons and getting first responders on the scene to find out where the leak was coming from.

“Air samples confirmed that CO levels in the restaurant were far above normal, with the problem later traced to a faulty water heater.

“The average carbon monoxide level in a home without a gas stove is between 0.5 ppm and 5 ppm, and up to 15 ppm in homes with properly adjusted gas stoves, according to the EPA.

“However, levels in the restaurant ranged from 80 ppm to 250 ppm — or high enough to cause potentially serious or even deadly consequences.”

The carbon monoxide scare at the Long Island Applebee’s is the second such incident involving a Long Island restaurant and an EMT this summer.

As The Inquisitr previously reported, a Long Island EMT went to a Dunkin’ Donuts and had a similar incident occur, having his carbon monoxide detector go off when he entered the restaurant.

What do you think? Should all first responders start wearing carbon monoxide detectors based on the successes seen just this summer on Long Island? Tell us in the comments section below.

[Image via Flickr Creative Commons]

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