BPI recognizes the heroic efforts of BPI Certified Building Analyst Carl Harvey, who saved the life of a homeowner when he detected a potentially lethal Carbon Monoxide leak while replacing a hot water heater. Harvey recognized CO deposits in the piping, and immediately urged the homeowner, who had been feeling sick for weeks, to consult a doctor. The doctor confirmed CO poisoning in the blood at near lethal levels, and the homeowner received immediate treatment. Carl commented that he “was doing what he was trained to do.” The now healthy homeowner alerted local American Red Cross chapter of what had happened, and nominated Carl for the Industrial Safety Award – which he then received at the annual American Red Cross Real Heroes Breakfast in Syracuse, New York.

Views: 175

Replies to This Discussion

Awesome!

Great job Carl!

It's nice to see the occassional acknowledgement of the good that is done by those in our line of work.

I noted that the new water heater is an electric one :)

I don't think I've ever seen "CO deposits" though.

It's interesting that Carl could taste something, maybe the oxides??

Well, let's see...

The flue was 'gone'. I believe that meant it had been removed or was completely rusted out, it's hard to say.

The pipes, but which pipes?, had carbon monoxide deposits on them. Having analyzed zillions of deposits in one of my former lives, maybe he meant what was left of the flue had carbon deposits on it, or had ferric oxide deposits on it(rust), or he meant that the gas pipe had a deposit on it, or maybe the hot water pipe out of the heater had the typical white deposit that forms on a steel inlet, or that it had a green copper oxide on copper deposit on it? It's a mystery, call in Sherlock!

Carbon monoxide deposits? certainly not.

He is correct that CO in air has a metallic taste, if you can still taste up to the moment it knocks you unconscious, and then kills you.

The story, however, sounds completely true, and that does make him a hero, despite the lack of chemical knowledge. There's nothing like a great 'burner man', they're mostly gone from society.

NYSWDA is very proud of Carl Harvey for his heroic action. Since starting his employment at The Cayuga -Seneca Community Action Weatherization Department Carl has attended many trainings and received his BPI certifications at NYSWDA's Energy Efficiency Training Center in Syracuse, NY. We ar very honored to train and test some of the most decicated and hardworking weatherization professionals in the nation. Out thanks to all the crew and auditors that work in the NY State Weatherization Assistance Program !!!

Carl Harvey also went far beyond the RESNET code of ethics for contractors, and should be lauded as such.

RSS

Home Energy Pros

Home Energy Pros was founded by the developers of Home Energy Saver Pro (sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy, under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act) and brought to you in partnership with Home Energy magazine.

Latest Activity

David Eakin commented on Elisa Wood's blog post Momentum builds for energy efficiency...but is the wolf at the door?
"Here's a very recent article on Green Building Advisor that reinforces the issues to…"
12 hours ago
Home Energy Magazine posted blog posts
14 hours ago
Egr renovation posted a status
"of course he is in paris but works around europe http://ning.it/16KrbS7"
17 hours ago
Egr renovation posted a status
"i just find a good photogrpahe for your master piece http://www.armanimage.com"
17 hours ago

Tom Mallard just added their location.
(via Member Map)

yesterday
Profile IconDon Hughes, Julian Sark, James Hatheway and 4 more joined Home Energy Pros
yesterday
Meagan Foster posted events
yesterday
Meagan Foster updated an event

EnergyLogic's RaterFest! at Black Hawk, CO

September 13, 2013 at 10am to September 15, 2013 at 12pm
Join us for one of the best home energy conferences available!  This retreat will provide…See More
yesterday
Meagan Foster updated an event

Homes 401: Green Rater Training at Berthoud, CO

June 25, 2013 to June 26, 2013
This highly interactive workshop builds upon the material presented in the online course, further…See More
yesterday
Meagan Foster updated an event

HERS Rater Training - Online at Online

July 1, 2013 to July 26, 2013
NEW - our great RESNET HERS Rater online training is now completely self-paced, so you can start at…See More
yesterday
Meagan Foster updated an event

BPI Building Analyst Training - Online at Online

June 3, 2013 to June 28, 2013
Join the EnergyLogic Academy for our BPI BA online training - we just went to a completely open…See More
yesterday

© 2013   Created by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service