The saga of the defective Ford Explorers continues. Between July 7 and July 8 of this year, five more incidents of leaking carbon monoxide in police Explorers were reported.
On July 7, a carbon monoxide monitor inside two APD officers’ car started going off intermittently. Both officers continued their work. The monitor went off seven times. When they returned to the station, complaining of headaches, they were evaluated. Their blood was drawn per protocol to test for elevated levels of the toxic gas.
On July 8, an officer was responding to a call off Dessau Road. He began to experience nausea, dizziness and a headache. It was then that his monoxide monitor started to go off. The fire department looked at the vehicle but did not detect increased levels of carbon monoxide. However, elevated levels of the gas were found in his blood. He was treated at the hospital and released.
More Reports of Carbon Monoxide
Another officer reported that his monitor was going off intermittently that same day. He was unsure whether the monitor was going off or simply indicating a low battery. Though he showed no symptoms of poisoning, when evaluated, he was found to have twice the normal limit of carbon monoxide in his system. He was taken to a hospital for evaluation.
On the night of the 10th, EMS evaluated another officer for possible carbon monoxide poisoning. And in a final case, an officer noticed his monitor going off before leaving his substation.
The officers all filled out workers’ compensation forms and the defective vehicles are being analyzed.
