HOUSTON – Carbon monoxide leaking from a Houston Fire Department ambulance sent two paramedics to the hospital Thursday, and video obtained exclusively by Channel 2 Investigates appears to document the problem.
VIDEO: Carbon monoxide reading of HFD ambulance
The reserve medic unit had just been picked up from the Fleet Maintenance yard when the paramedics reported they began to feel ill, according to HPFFA President Patrick Lancton.
The paramedics are doing OK, and have been released from the hospital. The incident comes a week after an HFD fire truck caught fire because of a maintenance issue.
"This is happening every week. We are having issues; we are having problems with the basic equipment," Lancton said.
Lancton said the Fleet Maintenance Department is overworked and under-trained and some of the equipment put into service by that separate city department presents a danger to firefighters and the community.
Both the Houston Fire Department and the Fleet Maintenance Department declined on-camera interviews on the topic, but HFD sent the following statement:
"On May 10, 2018, two Houston firefighters were evaluated at nearby hospital for carbon monoxide exposure after complaining of headache and nausea while working on a Reserve Ambulance Unit. The two firefighters were evaluated by medical staff at the hospital and released the same day and are currently in good condition. The probable cause of their exposure was the result of a malfunctioning on-board generator on the ambulance they were operating. The ambulance has been placed out of service and is being repaired by the City’s Fleet Maintenance Department (FMD).
"Employee safety is a top priority for the City of Houston and the Houston Fire Department. We are thankful our firefighters are safe and we are working with FMD to ensure this doesn’t happen again.
"Addressing the aging fleet is a high priority for the Department. Even under the extremely tight financial constraints, Mayor Sylvester Turner has approved and allocated over $20 million for apparatus, training and safety equipment for the Houston Fire Department in the last two Fiscal Years."