A couple who lives in a Lincolnshire condominium community was honored earlier this month by the Village Board and credited with saving lives, after the quick-thinking pair sprang into action when a hazardous materials incident arose.
“I’m happy someone much higher than us put us in the right place at the right time,” Alicia Anderson told the Lincolnshire Review.
Mayor Elizabeth Brandt and village trustees recognized the couple’s actions during the Aug. 12 Village Board meeting.
On May 23, Anderson said she suggested to her husband, Ken, that the couple sit by the swimming pool in their Village Green condominium community.
As the Andersons were sitting there, the wife explained, two teenagers walked into the adjacent workout room. About 20 minutes later the male came out asking for help for his female friend who collapsed.
Alicia Anderson called 911. They would all later learn that a hazardous materials situation had been set off, which sent 14 people to area hospitals, the Lincolnshire Review previously reported.
Lincolnshire Police Chief Joe Leonas said at the meeting that carbon monoxide was escaping into the room by the pool – which contains the workout area – causing the collapse of the two teens. He said the Andersons’ actions likely saved the teens’ lives.
“He knew how to respond,” Alicia Anderson said, referring to her husband, a 32-year veteran of the Deerfield Police Department who retired in 2008. “He knew exactly what to do.”
What transpired between the time the teenage male, a resident of Village Green, first asked for help and first responders arrived was a team effort by the Andersons.
“I ran upstairs to the workout room,” Alicia Anderson said. “The girl was lying there face down
Ken Anderson said he saw the female was breathing. But the male was lying on his back vomiting and having convulsions. Then his police training came into play.
“I turned him on his side so he wouldn’t choke on his vomit,” Ken Anderson said. “I wanted to keep his airway open. She wasn’t vomiting and she was breathing. I wasn’t (as) concerned.”
Worried only one ambulance would arrive as a result of the 911 call, Ken Anderson made a second call letting dispatchers know about the other victim. He said a fleet of emergency vehicles arrived.
Once first responders arrived, the Andersons told them what happened and the situation appeared under control they got another surprise. They were on their way to spend the day with their granddaughter because it was the child’s birthday. Then they got a call from Leonas.
“He said ‘I can’t make you go to the hospital but I highly recommend you go and get checked out,'” Alicia Anderson recalled. She said the chief was telling the couple about the carbon monoxide. “We went to Highland Park Hospital. I was there until 7:30 that night. Ken wasn’t released until 9.”
The next day, Alicia Anderson said they learned the teenagers were in good condition too.
“We see the kids all the time in the hall (of the condo building),” Alicia Anderson said. “They’re happy.”
Leonas said the room is still closed and the pool has yet to open while the cause of the leak is investigated. Among the 14 persons treated and released were four firefighters and four police officers, according to the previous Lincolnshire Review story.
Brandt expressed gratitude to the couple for their quick actions.
“We’re blessed,” Brandt said. “We appreciate that.”
Alicia Anderson said she and her husband happened to be in the right place at the right time. She also believes there was a reason for it.
Steve Sadin is a freelancer.
