Over 50 lives were saved early Shabbos morning after the Monsey Fire Department responded to a major carbon monoxide emergency at a multi-family apartment complex on Phyllis Terrace — a response made possible thanks to the Monsey Fire Department Communications (MFD Communications) hotline.
At around 4:30 a.m., a resident — who had previously survived a carbon monoxide scare — recognized the danger when their detector went off and immediately called the MFD Communications private emergency number. The call was answered within seconds, and Monsey firefighters were dispatched immediately.
Fire crews arrived on scene and detected dangerously high carbon monoxide levels in the initial apartment. Further checks revealed the gas had spread throughout all nine units in the building, with several apartments showing life-threatening readings. Firefighters quickly evacuated residents — including multiple families with children — from the most affected units.
Unlike previous CO emergencies where Hatzoloh had to be dispatched for patients suffering symptoms from carbon monoxide exposure, this incident was caught early — thanks to a working carbon monoxide detector — and no medical response was required
Orange & Rockland Utilities was called but took approximately 45 minutes to arrive. By then, firefighters had already completed evacuations and ensured the building was secure, preventing what could have been a major tragedy.
The incident, which lasted around two hours, underscores the critical role of MFD Communications in emergency situations. Residents emphasized that in situations involving toxic gas, there’s no time to wait for utility crews — and that having multiple trained responders is essential in multi-family structures.
Kudos to the dedicated Monsey Fire Department firefighters whose immediate action on Shabbos morning undoubtedly prevented a tragedy.
Why are you giving so much credit in this article to MFD Communications? If the occupant called 911 and got 44-Control the fire department would have responded with the same outcome. Monsey Fire Department is great, but so is 44-Control. No use for duplicate dispatchers and residents should call 911.
It is common knowledge that 44 Control takes 3 to 5 minutes longer, sometimes even 7 minutes longer, to dispatch calls than Monsey Dispatch. Every minute can make the difference between life or death. It has been proven time and time again that Monsey Dispatch is extraordinarily fast and efficient. Additionally, 44 Contol does NOT dispatch FD for CO calls without symptoms. So essentially this call would have been pushed over to O&R and the people would have been exposed to deadly CO levels for at least an hour longer. I believe that is the point here.
Residents should call 911, but many people instead contact friends, local groups, or no one at all. A local dispatch line, staffed by people familiar with the area and the dominant language, increases the chances that the fire department is notified promptly.