WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Ill (WSIL) - It was the kind of emergency no one sees coming.
On January 6th, as an ice storm battered the region and knocked out power to thousands across the tri-state area, Bill Holmes was just trying to stay warm. He turned to a generator to heat his home, but unknowingly invited in a silent killer: carbon monoxide.
“This was a true medical emergency", says Battalion Chief Eric Miller.
Holmes, unconscious, was found just in time by Williamson County Fire Protection District responders. The crew used CPR and an AED to revive him. Those are the very tools and techniques they had learned just days earlier.
“We had just taken an EMR course,� said Lieutenant Shane Duty.
“Luckily, the training kicked in.�
Today, those life-saving firefighters were publicly honored by county leaders, cheered on by fellow first responders, family, and the man they brought back from the brink.
“Keep doing a good job,� Holmes said humbly to the crew who saved his life.
The moment was emotional, powerful, and sobering.
“Carbon monoxide is a deadly gas,� said Chief Miller. “I recommend that everyone, even young children, learn CPR. You never know when you’ll need it, maybe even to save someone in your own family.�
Carbon monoxide, known as the “invisible killer,� has no smell, taste, or color and it can turn deadly in minutes. Experts say it’s vital to install detectors and never use generators in unventilated areas.
For the first responders, the rescue wasn't a run of the mill fire, but the crew say they're no heroes. “It’s just part of the job,� Lt. Duty said.
“But seeing Mr. Holmes here today� that’s a pretty good feeling.�
In the end, a moment of crisis turned into a story of survival, all thanks to training, teamwork, and the kind of bravery that doesn’t ask for recognition, but earns it anyway.
