ADT, a provider of security and automation solutions for homes and businesses and ranked No. 1 on the SDM 100, celebrated one of its LifeSaver events in Bloomfield Hills, Mich., where the Brodsky family was reunited with rescuers who helped saved them from carbon monoxide.
The “silent killer” scare happened on June 6 as Sue Brodsky was having the carpets cleaned in her home.
“The ADT carbon monoxide detector activated, and I thought it was a false alarm because of the chemicals being used on the carpets,” Brodsky said. “So, when the ADT dispatcher called, I tried to persuade him to cancel the emergency response.”
What Brodsky didn’t realize was that elevated levels of carbon monoxide were being pumped into the house from the engine exhaust of the carpet cleaning vehicle. With it parked near an open garage door and the wind blowing just right, the potentially deadly fumes were flowing inside, permeating the house.
When Bloomfield Township firefighters arrived, they used a portable air monitor to confirm the lethal levels.
“Had it not been for the persistence of the ADT dispatcher and first responders, my family and I could have gone to bed that night and not woken up,” Brodsky said.
To celebrate the life-saving rescue, ADT CEO Tim Whall presented LifeSaver Awards to seven ADT employees who each played a part in helping save the Brodsky family. Included was dispatcher Greg Drinnen who flew in from ADT’s Customer Care Center in Knoxville, Tenn., to meet the Brodskys for the first time.
“This was a great example of how all of us at ADT help save lives for a living,” Drinnen said. Drinnen typically handles more than 100 alarm calls per day, ADT reported. “I am glad my training paid off and the Brodsky family will continue making memories.”
Whall also awarded $10,000 to Bloomfield Township Fire Department, which will use a portion of the funds to buy more hand-held air monitors to detect gases in homes and businesses.
According to the CDC, 500 Americans die every year from carbon monoxide, and up to 50,000 are poisoned. It’s estimated only 30 percent of American homes have CO detectors, ADT reported.