ORANGE Ex-Services' Club has revealed a potentially more lethal reason for closing its indoor pool after a carbon monoxide poisoning risk was detected from ageing equipment.
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Club chief executive officer Daniel Perkiss said there was a gas-forced heat exchanger in a confined space.
"That's used to heat the pool in very cold conditions, and if there's a leak of chlorine in the system, the byproduct is carbon monoxide," he said.
I don't want to be a CEO in charge of a Dreamworld scenario.
- Orange Ex-Services' Club chief executive officer Daniel Perkiss
Mr Perkiss said he became aware of the problem in the past month and had it immediately disconnected, meaning members using the pool prior to the April 29 closure would not be at risk.
Asked whether it had been luck or fortune no one had been harmed in the past, Mr Perkiss said, "absolutely".
"I don't want to be a CEO in charge of a Dreamworld scenario," he said.
"I don't want to sit in front of a coroners court and explain deaths when I know it's been an issue."
He said the issue was "one of many, many" reasons for closing the facility, which also included extensive operating costs and the need to employ trained lifeguards.
But Mr Perkiss emphasised the timing of the announcement was dictated by the need to move children's learn-to-swim classes to Orange Aquatic Centre in time for term two.
Orange Ratepayers Association president Colin Young added his disappointment about the closure, saying his sons learned to swim there.
"The government allows them to have poker machines and in return, they should provide services to the community," he said.
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