The quick and appropriate reaction of 15-year-old Mateusz from Żory saved the life of his mother, who lost consciousness while taking a bath due to carbon monoxide poisoning. The boy called for services and the woman was taken to hospital.
According to the spokeswoman of the Silesian Fire Brigade Aneta Gołębiowska, on Tuesday, the control room of the City Headquarters of the State Fire Brigade (PSP) in Żory received the following report: “My mother was taking a bath and she collapsed in the bathroom. She’s lying unconscious, and there’s a gas water heater in the bathroom.”
This was the information that 15-year-old Matthew, who had earlier pulled his mother out of the bathtub and opened all the windows, called the 112-emergency number. An emergency medical services team arriving at the scene found a significant amount of carbon monoxide in the woman’s exhaled breath. She was transported to the hospital.
Firefighters took measurements in the apartment and confirmed the presence of carbon monoxide in the bathroom. They gave the homeowners a carbon monoxide detector.
“The teenager’s responsible and immediate behaviour ensured his mum received the help she needed and the emergency services called arrived on time,” – stressed Aneta Gołębiowska.
As she informed, from 1st October to 22nd December PSP in Silesian Province recorded 594 incidents – including 348 fires in residential buildings – related to improper use of heating devices and installations. In 85 cases, carbon monoxide detectors were tripped in the apartments. 4 people were dead and 94 people were injured, including 21 children.