Three Town of North Hempstead civil service workers were honored at last week’s town board meeting with commendations for taking actions beyond their job responsibilities after being exposed to chlorine gas at the Michael J. Tully Aquatic Center on May 19.
The three employees, supervisor Arthur Zapke and pool workers Edward Nolan and Chuck Carnabucci were exposed to the fumes after opening a basement room at the aquatic center.
The three had opened the chlorine storage room where a big vat of chlorine pellets are kept. The room also contains a heat pump, which uses hydrochloric acid to filter the pool water. A ventilator in the room wasn’t working, which they couldn’t detect before they opened the door.
“When they opened the door, they got hit with a big cloud of chlorine and hydrochloric acid,” said Kevin Williams, president of the Civil Service Employees Association for the Town of North Hempstead. “They found it hard to take a breath. It hurt.”
While Zapke proceeded to evacuate the building, Nolan and Carnabucci got respirators from their lockers and tried to find a way to vent the fumes out of the basement, according to Williams.
“They were worried about the public. They were worried about the seasonal help,” Williams said. “Their own safety was the last thing they thought about.”
Shortly thereafter, Hazmat units from the Nassau County Police Department arrived at the scene with units of the New Hyde Park and Garden City Park fire departments. The three injured CSEA workers were given oxygen, decontaminated at the scene and transported to a hospital in the area.
“I’m very proud of the way they conducted themselves,” Williams said.
