Family saved from carbon monoxide poisoning meet the man who saved them

Bria Smith
·2 min read

GRANITEVILLE, S.C. (WJBF) – A local family says their lives were likely saved by a carbon monoxide detector.

Each year at least 420 people, in the U.S., die due to carbon monoxide poisoning, but one local family was saved from being part of that statistic by having a carbon monoxide detector in their home.

“Upon notification of the CPI Security System, they advised me to go outside because the house was detecting carbon monoxide.” Homeowner Alexis Williams said.

“If you have any children or pets, go ahead and exit the home, and if it’s cold, go ahead and exit the home and just close all the doors. I’m gonna have them come out,” Tee’Kay Smith said during the conversation between her and Williams.

Alexis Williams says an incident — where her carbon monoxide detector alerted her of too much of the gas in her home — served as a wakeup call, and she warns people about the importance of having a detector.

“We didn’t taste it, we didn’t hear it, and we didn’t smell it. We felt perfectly fine, and neither one of us were sick. Yet, we had deadly levels, and we were advised that we could have died in less than 45 minutes if we were not advised to go outside,” Williams said.

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On January 3rd, the Williams family was saved and living to now tell their story.

A little more than a month later, Williams met the man who helped guide her and her family to safety.

“It’s just an honor to be able to meet the people that we save, as well as protect communities.”

Tee’Kay Smith, a Central Safety Operator, was honored with an award for his dedicated work and says a happy home is a safe home. He and his team at CPI Systems can help ensure that by installing alert detectors.

“Yeah, you want your house to be protected as far as cameras and all that – all the good bells and whistles. When you have carbon monoxide detector and a fire detector, your home is a little more safe because you can be away. Your smoke detector can go off, and you might not have one. You might come back home to… you might not have a home.”

Carbon Monoxide is a color-less, tasteless, and odorless gas, but there are some things to look out for if you suspect your home may have too much of it.

For more information, you can go the CDC website.

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