Stephenie Eastman woke up in the early hours of the morning on Sunday not feeling well. Not long after, she lost consciousness. Her husband Matt was trying to figure out what was wrong when their eight-year-old daughter Maizee made her way down the hall before collapsing. Kaden and Reese, the oldest daughter and son of the family, hurried upstairs after hearing the commotion. Kaden called Emergency Services, but while he was still on the phone he collapsed as well.
This nightmarish situation was explained by Krisin Frink, Matt Eastman's sister, in a GoFundMe emergency fund set up for the family.
"Help arrived quickly and discovered the CO levels in the house were extremely high," Frink wrote.
The Green River Police Department reported being dispatched to a home in Green River for a report of individuals not feeling well at approximately 3:44 a.m. Sunday, March 19. While responding, officers made the decision to have Green River Fire Department respond as well, according to a GRFD press release.
Upon arrival, two patients were not responding appropriately, so GRFD Co-chief Bill Robinson made the determination to have the home checked for carbon monoxide. The GRFD Rescue Crew entered the home and quickly determined the CO (Carbon Monoxide) levels to be unsafe.
Responders worked quickly to get all family members out of the home and transported to Sweetwater Memorial Hospital for carbon monoxide poisoning. Sweetwater Memorial Hospital confirmed the high levels of carbon monoxide in the blood of all five family members and transported all members to a facility to help treat this type of poisoning, according to the GRFD press release.
"After being stabilized by oxygen, it was determined they would need to be transported to Utah to be treated in a hyperbaric chamber," Frink explained. "Because of the amount of oxygen needed, they all needed separate transportation. Steph and Reese were taken in separate ambulances. Matt, Kaden and Maizee were transported by air, all separately."
While the family was being taken care of, GRFD stayed on scene and ventilated the home until it was safe to enter, according to the press release. Upon re-entry, investigation proved it to be from a cracked combustion chamber found on the family's boiler heater. GRFD and GRPD crews worked on site until the home was deemed safe.
After the quick actions from first responders and successful medical treatment, all five family members will make a full recovery.
"Any delay in responses from first responders to dispatch, or not noticing the signs of CO poisoning upon arrival, and this could have proven fatal to this family," said Robinson. "We are all thankful and blessed tonight for the outcome of this family. These were the highest levels we have ever witnessed in a home," he added.
GRFD would like to remind everyone that carbon monoxide is the silent killer and to please check your home for proper working carbon monoxide and smoke and fire detectors. Had the family member not awoke feeling sick, this would have been a different outcome, the GRFD said.
The fire department also expressed gratitude to all responders as well as the Sweetwater Memorial Hospital Staff and Sweetwater Combined Communication Center for quick actions on this type of call.
The Eastmans also expressed their gratitude to all the emergency responders for their help, and Frink said the family is "truly thankful, lucky and blessed to have survived."
While relieved her family is safe, Frink also knew they would face a large financial burden due to the multiple ambulance rides and life flights required to get them treatment. In order to help, Frink organized the GoFundMe to raise $50,000 for the family. Within just two days and as of press time, the GoFundMe had 227 donations raising $21,080 for the Eastman family.
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