According to public safety officials, a crew from PSE&G ultimately determined the source of the carbon monoxide was the vent stacks of a hot water heater.
HAMILTON — Ice Land still remains closed weeks after a carbon monoxide poisoning sent people to local hospitals.
As of Nov. 13 a message on the ice skating rink’s website reads “Ice Land is currently closed for unexpected repairs to the facility. The rink will be closed until further notice. We apologize for the inconvenience.”
Attempts to reach representatives of the facility were unsuccessful as of press time.
According to public safety officials, a crew from PSE&G ultimately determined the source of the carbon monoxide was the vent stacks of a hot water heater.
”PSE&G secured the gas to that part of the building, which pretty much for the most part eliminates all existences of carbon monoxide,” Deputy Fire Chief Christopher Tozzi said.
The Hamilton Township Fire District No. 2 (Mercerville Fire Co. District No. 2) was dispatched at 10:08 a.m. for “an odor with illness” at Ice Land on Oct. 26, Deputy Chief Tozzi said on Monday.
”(There were) multiple sicknesses due to an unknown odor,” said Deputy Chief Tozzi. “They started an EMS sector where they started evaluating patients and transported some of them to the local area hospitals for symptoms not unlike carbon monoxide poisoning.
”We found very high levels of concentrations of carbon monoxide throughout the whole structure,” he added, noting Ice Land is a very large facility.
”It’s very uneasy when you have that much (carbon monoxide),” he continued said, adding that the levels were “right under 500 ppm (parts per million)” and “heavier parts in the center of the building.”
Deputy Chief Tozzi said the readings should be at zero.
”Carbon monoxide is incomplete combustion,” he said. “Most of your newer appliances or maintained appliances have complete combustion; when they start to fail or there’s an issue they cause incomplete combustion.”
The building was ultimately ventilated down to “habitable levels.”
”In working with the business owner and mayor’s office, we decided to keep it closed for the night,” Deputy Chief Tozzi said. “I returned the next morning to do a walk through.”
According to Deputy Chief Tozzi, upon his walkthrough that Sunday and doing the “meter” readings he got zeros in almost every part of the building and in one part he got a reading of one ppm.
Readings of 25 ppm raises a “concern” and 50 ppm is “actionable” and “nobody can be in the building,” he said, adding they had concluded that they had determined the source of the carbon monoxide.
Ice Land was then able to reopen for business.
However, the next day, on Monday, Oct. 28, the department met with the township inspectors who were there to meet with the owner regarding the “prevention and remediation process.”
”I decided that we should possibly bring a meter in to check,” he said. “Once we brought the meter in it went off the charts again and we had a carbon monoxide issue, which was befuddling because there was no gas to the building.”
Readings were not as high as the initial call, he said, but were at 80 ppm at 11:13 a.m..
The readings constituted an emergency, he said, but noted at the time apart from officials there were only a few employees present.
”The business wasn’t occupied at that point,” he said, noting the same PSE&G crew returned to address the issue.
”We thought it was coming from the Zamboni,” he said. “We then transferred the investigation to the building not adequately ventilating itself.”
The township came on board to make the “proper arrangements” to ensure the building was “breathing properly.”
”(The owners have) been great in working with the township and my fire marshal to make sure it doesn’t happen again and they are taking all the necessary precautions,” Deputy Chief Tozzi said.
”Everybody just wants to make sure the facility is safe so it can be used once again.”