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Weston residents Lou and Maria Dempsey have been honored by the Police Commission for a life-saving campaign they started three years ago. Commission Chair Rick Phillips said the number of lives the couple have saved cannot be counted.
Phillips presented the Dempseys with the Citizen of the Year award on Wednesday night. Thanks to their efforts and help from the Weston Volunteer Fire Department and Weston Emergency Services, Phillips said, more than 1,600 homes in Weston are equipped with carbon monoxide detectors, the result of a 2009 town ordinance mandating a CO detector in every home.
After Marias sister, Caroline Lofgren, died from carbon monoxide poisoning in 2008, along with her two children, the Dempseys embarked on a mission to make sure no one else had to suffer that kind of loss.
Without the support that weve had, I dont think we would have survived the tragedy, Maria said.
Not one Weston resident has been lost due to carbon monoxide since the couple started their campaign, said Phillips. In March, the Dempseys were recognized as Red Cross Heroes for 2011.
Do you know someone who has turned a tragedy into a mission? Email shenry@mainstreetconnect.us.
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