MEXIA, Texas (KWTX) – The chief at the Tehuacana Volunteer Fire Department is recovering after collapsing on the scene of a structure fire.
It was a typical shift, fighting a house fire in Coolidge, when Fire Chief Aaron Woodall announced to his crew that he didn’t feel well. Within second from saying that, he had collapsed and was unconscious.
“I do remember waking up on a fireman’s back being carried and put on a stretcher,” Woodall says.
He was out for a few minutes before regaining consciousness, at the time we really thought everything was okay.
“I’m not thinking it’s anything major, nothing like that.”
After being taken to Parkview Hospital in Mexia, the doctors there felt it was best to transport him to the Dallas burn center where he learned what led to him passing out.
“I did have smoke inhalation, carbon monoxide poisoning and a little flare up with my heart that caused an issue,” he explains.
He was discharged Tuesday afternoon and is on the road to recovery but the whole thing put a lot into perspective for Woodall, as he has a wife and four young kids at home.
“My assistant chief’s wife called to let her know that I collapsed at a structure fire and she didn’t realize but the phone was on speaker and my 6-year-old thought that dad was gone.”
Chief Woodall says this happened largely in part due to him not wearing an air mask while mopping up the scene. “It’s an eye opener to me and my department. There’s now a rule in my department, the ‘chief’ rule because it happened to the chief, you’re going to be wearing an air pack any time.”
It’s going to take some time to heal but Woodall says he is doing everything he needs to do so he can get back on the truck and back to serving his community.
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