Rangers Respond to Carbon Monoxide Incident on Houseboat in Face Canyon
On July 17, 2024, at approximately 12:45 a.m., the National Park Service (NPS) Glen Canyon Regional Communications Center received a call from Kane County Dispatch of a possible carbon monoxide poisoning incident on a privately owned vessel in Face Canyon. Face Canyon is located near buoy 24 on Lake Powell within Glen Canyon National Recreation area and encompasses both the state of Arizona and Utah. This incident happened on the Arizona side of the canyon within Coconino County.
Glen Canyon National Recreation Area Rangers responded immediately and provided medical support on scene. Initial reports were of 4 patients suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning onboard a houseboat. Upon arrival, a total of twenty-one patients were identified. Also assisting on scene were personnel from Classic Air Medical, who dispatched 3 medical helicopters and Intermountain Life Flight, who dispatched 2 medical helicopters. A total of 5 patients (3 adults and 2 juveniles) were flown to the St. George Regional Hospital for further treatment. The remaining sixteen patients were treated and released on scene.
The source of the carbon monoxide is currently under investigation by the National Park Service and Coconino County Sheriff’s Office. This is the third carbon monoxide-related incident responded to by Glen Canyon National Recreation Area Rangers this month.
All boaters should be aware of the dangers of carbon monoxide (CO) and ensure on-board CO detectors are operable prior to embarking on your trip. Carbon Monoxide is an odorless, tasteless gas that can cause death when inhaled. Symptoms of exposure can include headaches, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, and confusion. A person who is sleeping can die from CO poisoning before recognizing symptoms. Boats can collect dangerous levels of CO anytime fuel-burning, engines or appliances are running. More safety information is available at go.nps.gov/GLCAsafe
Campbellsville Fire-Rescue was dispatched to a report of a carbon monoxide incident on a house boat on Green River Lake in a remote area. Upon arrival, firefighters found a pontoon boat inbound to the state marina with 9 patients on board with all experiencing carbon monoxide symptoms. 9 patients were triaged by emergency personnel. 2 patients was transported via medic unit and 7 patients was transported to TRH via personal vehicles with non-life threating injuries. This family was able to recognize the symptoms of CO poisoning and called 911 immediately. Firefighters conducted air monitoring and found elevated levels of carbon monoxide in the houseboat.
With cooler nights approaching we want to remind everyone about carbon monoxide safety. You can’t see it, taste it or smell it, but low levels of carbon monoxide can make you sick, and high levels can kill you. Carbon monoxide (CO) is an invisible, odorless gas that can escape from any fuel-burning appliance, such as gas furnaces, generators, water heaters, stoves, fireplaces, wood stoves, chimneys or space heaters. It can also be created by an automobile idling in a closed or attached garage. Carbon monoxide incidents can even happen in houseboats. All homes with fuel burning appliances need a working CO alarm. As a reminder, the symptoms of CO poisoning are dizziness, nausea, fatigue, and flu-like symptoms.
In many of these cases of poisoning, Lindell Weaver, MD, Intermountain Healthcare’s medical director of the Hyperbaric Medicine Center at Intermountain Medical Center and LDS Hospital said, “they occurred near the back of the boat, close to the exhaust where children went from from normal to serious in minutes!”
“To honor Afton, please wear a life jacket when boating and swimming around boats to increase your chances of surviving carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning. Boaters should use a marine CO detector, seat children in the forward-most seating on a boat, avoid idling and exposure to emissions from other boats, and maintain fresh air circulation at all times.”
CORPSTRUCTION – Remembering Andy Free and preventing deaths from carbon monoxide
Over the Memorial Day weekend, we sat down with Cassi Free to talk about her son Andy, who fell out of the family boat and drowned after a day of wakeboarding and boating on Lake Eufaula on June 9, 2020.
When her two other sons were sent to the hospital that same day, the family discovered they were exposed to high levels of carbon monoxide while out on the water. Tests revealed that Andy, who was nine years old, had been exposed to high levels of carbon monoxide.
Cassi was kind enough to sit down and share her experience and talk about the family’s efforts to raise awareness of carbon monoxide while boating.
Carbon monoxide is an odorless, colorless gas that is a byproduct of burning fuel. If a flame or combustion is present, carbon monoxide is being produced. Carbon monoxide displaces oxygen in the blood depriving the heart, brain, and other vital organs of oxygen. It can kill within minutes.
Initial carbon monoxide toxicity symptoms often mirror fatigue typical of being out in the sun, and since it’s lighter than air, it can remain in an area for long periods, especially in highly trafficked areas.
Be aware of the risks of exposure. Take frequent breaks away from the lake, and if you observe lethargy or confusion in others, seek medical attention.
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“An onboard emergency prompted a response from the Coast Guard, and the rescue of five boaters near a Delaware bay on Christmas Day.
Officials say the five mariners experienced possible carbon monoxide poisoning while boating 11 miles east of the Indian River Bay near Bethany Beach, Delaware.”
“• The U.S. Coast Guard and a local Delaware fire department are reporting that they were called out on Christmas afternoon for five seafarers suffering from possible carbon monoxide exposure.
• The USCG’s Delaware Bay Command Center received a report that 5 mariners aboard the motor vessel Reggeborg had experienced possible CO poisoning, requiring medical assistance, a Station Indian River 47-foot motor lifeboat boat & the Lewes Fire Department also responded with one of its boats, Delaware State Troopers, Delaware Fish & Wildlife & the DNR also assisted.
• 2 of the crewmembers were removed from the ship by the U.S. CG & transferred to its station for further medical assistance, the 3 others were transferred to the Bethany Fire Department for medical assistance.
• The 557ft long Netherlands registered 22,000 dwt ship, Reggeborg was anchored 11 miles east of Indian River Bay off the Delaware coast since December 19 & arrived from Jacksonville, Florida from Finland in October.
• It is unclear how the crewmembers of a general cargo ship anchored offshore were exposed to the deadly gas.”
I thought I had everything I needed onboard my pontoon boat to maximize the safety of myself and all my passengers until I discovered another item that you may not have considered either until you read this. To begin with, I’ll summarize the standard required and recommended safety equipment that most safety-minded boaters have on any boats less than 26 feet long. They include wearable life jackets that fit everyone on board, a throwable rescue device, operable navigation lights, visual distress signals, engine cut-off system, sound producing devices (i.e. horn, water-proof whistles), anchor with line, ventilation (to remove gas fumes from the hull), first-aid kit, communication devices (i.e. cell phone or VHF-FM Marine radio), and fire extinguisher. The critical item I’m now adding to my list of safety equipment is a handheld, portable, carbon-monoxide detector.
Carbon monoxide poisoning is not limited to boats with enclosed cabins and it has proven to be deadly on open motorboats. Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless, and tasteless toxic gas created by gasoline-powered engines, including on-board generators that can kill you. It displaces oxygen in your blood and deprives vital organs of oxygen. Even though carbon monoxide has no odor, if you smell exhaust, carbon monoxide is present, but you don’t have to smell anything for it to kill you. Carbon monoxide poisoning causes similar symptoms to dehydration, seasickness, or alcohol intoxication. They include dizziness, weakness, nausea, voting, fatigue, seizure, chest pain, confusion, and loss of consciousness.
Wind coming from the aft or rear of a boat can increase the buildup of carbon monoxide on board. It’s best to run a boat so prevailing winds will help dissipate exhaust fumes. If you’re driving your boat at idle speeds or at a fast high-bow angle, both can draw exhaust fumes back towards your boat, especially if there’s a tail wind. This circular airflow pattern of exhaust back towards your boat is referred to as a station-wagon or back-draft effect. Children, older adults, or immune-compromised individuals are more susceptible to carbon monoxide poisoning from this back-draft effect.
After a long day of boating, Andy Free was only nine when he passed out and fell overboard from a docked boat. They were leaving for the day and the engine wasn’t even running at the time that he fell overboard. The Free family’s two older boys were discovered to have high levels of carbon monoxide poisoning, but they survived with medical treatment. The Free family had spent many years enjoying the water and always followed boating safety rules, but they didn’t know about the hidden danger of carbon monoxide poisoning until after their tragic loss of Andy (https://thelittledude.org/).
The family of 7-year-old Afton Taylor also suffered a tragic loss of their son to carbon monoxide poisoning. Afton was a swimmer and he had been enjoying the water since he was 6-months old. Afton fell overboard while sitting in the back of the boat as it was moving slowly in a no wake zone (https://www.lovelikeafton.com).
Carbon monoxide can also be very dangerous in the water around boats because it can accumulate near the water’s surface, especially on calm days with engines running nearby. Ally Sidloski, a 21-year-old woman died from carbon monoxide poisoning after jumping into a lake for a swim off a boat she had been on for the day. Ally was an excellent swimmer, and her parents were shocked to hear that she died in the water because they had never heard of carbon monoxide poisoning associated with boats (https://weplayfor3.com).
The Triple A’s, as the families call themselves in honor of Andy, Afton, and Ally are working together to spread the word about the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning when boating. They encourage boaters to use a marine carbon monoxide detector, seat children in the forward-most seating on a boat, avoid idling and exposure to emissions from other boats, and maintain fresh air circulation at all times. Also, seek medical attention immediately if you suspect carbon monoxide poisoning.
In addition to that list of tips, wearing a life jacket can help in the recovery and resuscitation of someone affected by carbon monoxide. Please wear a life jacket when boating, floating, or swimming around boats because even one breath of carbon monoxide can cause people to pass out and drown.
I’ve purchased a handheld, portable carbon monoxide detector to add to my boat’s safety equipment. My hope is that anyone who boats or swims around motorboats gets one too. Share this information with those you know who enjoy boating and playing in the water around boats so we can prevent carbon monoxide deaths and save more lives on our nation’s waterways! For more information regarding the risks of carbon monoxide poisoning when boating visit PleaseWearIt.com and https://uscgboating.org/recreational-boaters/carbon-monoxide.php.
“The U.S. hasn’t had as many boating-related deaths since 1998! There was a 25.1% increase in boating fatalities, compared to 2019. For the complete 2020 Recreation Fatality Report go to 2020 Recreational Boating Statistics (uscgboating.org)”
Bremerton, WA: “Thirty-three sailors assigned to the USS Michigan submarine were taken to the hospital Monday following potential exposure to exhaust from the boat’s diesel engine during maintenance work at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard.”
“Frank A. Opaskar, 76, of Avon Lake, Christopher Kedas, 45, of Huron, and Owen Kedas, 11, of Huron, died aboard the boat found circling near the Cleveland crib water intake off the shore of downtown Cleveland. Coast Guard officials arrived about 6 p.m. and entered the boat by breaking out a window.”
“We’ve been going through no wake zones with dangling feet in the water for as long as I can remember,” said Doug Taylor.
Afton was sitting in the back of the boat as it was moving at a slow speed in the no wake zone.
“I looked over [to see] if he was okay, he gave me a thumbs up, I went back to rolling up a rope to make sure everything was secure for the trip and then he was gone,” said Doug. “That was the last time we saw him before we had to identify his body.”
“The Coast Guard says the father was complaining of dizziness, the young teenage daughter had delirium and loss of motor function and the youngest daughter was unconscious.”
“When you’re playing in the water around boats, especially if it’s a calm day without any wind blowing, CO can sit on top of the water’s surface. This puts people in the water around boats at greater risk because their mouth is typically at the same level that CO sits on top of the water. In high enough concentrations of CO, only a few breaths can cause someone to pass out, and if they’re in the water, and not wearing a properly-fitted life jacket, they drown quickly and silently. Besides wearing a properly-fitted life jacket when playing in the water around boats, these are some other things that you need to know about CO poisoning when boating…”
“…authorities in South Haven, Michigan, received a distress call from the captain who was unable to operate the boat, which was traveling in Michigan from St. Joseph to South Haven…”
More information on this poisoning incident in Long Island, NY –
“…the leak occurred when the boat was operated at a high bow angle, with a heavy load of passengers and with the canvas up, reducing the amount of natural ventilation — commonly known as backdrafting or the “station wagon effect”… It was also not immediately clear if the boat had working carbon monoxide detectors”
#BoatingSafetyFriday: Carbon monoxide can accumulate anywhere in or around your boat. Every boater should be aware of the risks associated with carbon monoxide to protect everyone aboard.
CO can accumulate in inadequately ventilated canvas enclosures, blocked exhaust outlets, and at slow speeds, while idling, or stopped.
Remarkable story about what one family and their carbon monoxide awareness foundation have accomplished after losing their two young sons to CO poisoning while vacationing on a houseboat in 2000.
The detail of the poisoning incident is posted on their website https://doubleangel.org/the-last-swim/
Heartbreaking read…lifesaving information ❤️
“People who teach boat safety, such as Mitch Strobl of Boat-Ed.com, adamantly tell people not to hang onto the back of a boat when the engine is running. Whether swimmers are being pulled at full speed or simply lounging in the water while holding onto an idling boat, swimmers can be knocked unconscious before they even know they’re in danger.”
“When 15-year-old Sarah Pool drowned in Lake Travis last month, the community was shocked by the teen’s sudden drowning while participating in a church wakeboarding camp.”
“At the request of the U.S. Coast Guard, an interagency team (comprised of representatives of
the National Park Service, the US Department of Interior, and the National Institute for
Occupational Safety and Health) investigating boat-related CO poisonings compiled a listing
of CO poisonings occurring across the United States. The last update of the listing compiled
by the interagency team was dated October 2004.”
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