An EMT stopped by a Long Island Dunkin’ Donuts to grab some coffee recently, but what the medic got was something much bigger. It seems there was a high level of carbon monoxide at the shop and the medic’s personal carbon-monoxide detector alerted him to the issue.
The New York Post reports that the EMT escorted everybody out of the Dunkin’ Donuts after the carbon-monoxide detector went off. The fire department was called, and authorities found the carbon monoxide levels to be at 35 parts per million. Luckily the medic arrived at a time where the levels were elevated, but not yet high enough to cause danger to those at the shop.
Officials soon discovered that one of the oven vents was not working properly, causing the carbon monoxide issue. Luckily the problem was discovered early enough that nobody was hurt. The StarTribune notes that the EMT stopped by the coffee and donut shop around 4 a.m. Friday morning, so it is easy to see how things could have gotten much worse in a matter of a few hours as the day progressed and customers flocked in for their java.
In this case, everything worked out and nobody suffered any serious ill effects from the carbon monoxide exposure. As many in the Long Island area will recall, a similar situation just a few months ago led to a much different outcome. A carbon monoxide leak at the Walt Whitman Shopping Center left one man dead and 27 others sick, according to CBS New York . In that case, a problem with a water heater flue pipe was cited as the issue that generated the carbon monoxide leak.
The Nassau County EMT involved in this incident has not been named, but it is clear that those who were at the Carle Place Dunkin’ Donuts last Friday morning owe him a big thanks and perhaps a free cup of coffee. While there have been some bizarre and unfortunate things happen over the years at various Dunkin’ Donut locations, this situation turned out to be one where everybody ultimately was fine.
After the shopping mall tragedy local officials called for local businesses to install their own carbon-monoxide detectors. It would seem that this Dunkin’ Donuts carbon monoxide scare would be a good reminder that it’s a valuable, if not critical, item to install. Here’s betting that this particular unnamed EMT will be welcome to stop by the Carle Place shop for coffee any time he wants.
[Image: John-Pittsburgh via Flickr]
