WARSAW — The meeting room in Warsaw Community Schools’ administration office was packed on Monday, Feb. 18, all for the adulation of Edgewood Middle School seventh-grader Milind Kumar.

Family members, school faculty and a host of emergency services personnel, including Sheriff Kyle Dukes attended the regular meeting of the WCS board of trustees to honor Kumar’s recent actions that are attributed to saving not only his own life but also the lives of his family members.

According to reports, Kumar awoke during the night recently and suffered from a severe headache. When he went into his parents’ room to tell them he didn’t feel well, he found his mother unresponsive. First responders who later arrived on the scene said that the plucky middle schooler had the wherewithal to assess that his family was suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning. It was later determined that the poisoning originated from a leaky furnace.

Despite severe head pain, Kumar attempted to revive his mother. His father attempted to help, but was heavily debilitated by the poisoning and the student’s younger sister was vomiting as a result of the gas. Kumar told responders that he briefly passed out, but when he came to, he opened some windows in the house and called 911, which officials said was the act that ultimately saved the entire family.

“I really appreciate all the extra people here that serve our community all the time because they recognize also just the valuable lesson he taught all of us about carbon monoxide poisoning, just how risky it can be and that it can be fatal,” said Edgewood Middle School Principal JoElla Hauselman at the Monday board meeting. “We’re just very thankful that Milind had a good head on his shoulders and saved his family.”

With his entire family in attendance, Kumar received not only a certificate for life-saving from Lutheran EMS but also received a plaque and several life-saving coins from first responders.

According to a press release from WCS, Edgewood Middle School staff members are engaged in fundraising efforts to help the family offset the costs of hotel stays they had as a result of the incident.

Any resident who would like to help the family can call the school at (574) 371-5096.