Nathan Balas knows from experience why carbon monoxide, a colourless, odorless toxic gas, is called ‘the silent killer’.
He and other members of his family, including his parents and two younger brothers, came very close to being victims of carbon monoxide poisoning on a cold winter evening three years ago. The heat exchanger on their home’s old-style boiler furnace had cracked, resulting in the combustion gases remaining trapped inside the building.
“We had recently moved to Warman,” said Balas in an interview at the Warman Fire Hall. “When I went to bed I was feeling a little groggy. I just thought it was an off-day.
“But a little later my Mom came down into the basement and woke me up. She said my father had passed out upstairs.”
While they didn’t realize it at the time, the carbon monoxide gas was being forced up to the top floor of the house, where his parents’ bedroom was located. The concentration of gas in the basement was not as high.
“When I went up to check on him, he came to, but I realized something was definitely wrong,” said Balas. “People don’t pass out for no reason. I had worked as a lifeguard before so I had a little bit of training.
“Dad knew Warman Fire Chief Russ Austin, so he called Russ. The firefighters showed up quickly and took a reading with their carbon monoxide detector. Russ said the reading was very high.
“When Sask Energy came, they used a very sensitive reader that indicated the air in the house showed in excess of 1600 parts per million.
“A carbon monoxide reading of 50 parts per million is considered extremely bad. The reading in our house was way above that.”
Balas said their home had a carbon monoxide detector that had been installed many years before as part of a security system, but for some reason it failed to work that night. That was also a lesson, he added, noting it’s important to check regularly to ensure CO detectors are functioning properly.
“We were really lucky,” he said. “It could have been a lot worse. I was very impressed with the response of the firefighters. They were so calm and professional and they knew exactly what needed to be done. We were so grateful.”
Balas said the incident was a turning point in his life.
“I had thought about firefighting as a career before that, when I was a kid,” said Balas. “But after that incident I knew exactly what I wanted to do. Shortly afterward I went to Fire College in Vermilion, Alberta and trained as a firefighter.
“It was an intense, ten-month long course,” he said. “The practical, hands-on training really prepared me for all kinds of emergency situations.”
On his return to Warman, he joined Warman Fire Rescue (WFR). According to Austin, Balas has been a great addition to the team, actively involved in community outreach initiatives.
“He coordinated the Community AED campaign,” said Austin. “It will likely become an annual thing. We’re encouraging businesses to have AEDs that the public can access in a medical emergency.”
Balas is currently going to school to attain certification as a paramedic. He expects to graduate in May.
“The more training I get, the more I can help out the community,” said Balas. “I’m proud to be part of the First Responder team and I encourage others to get involved.
“It’s a lot of work, but in my opinion it’s worth it.”