Carbon monoxide alarm calls: what CSRs must say

The rule in one line

Everything else in this protocol supports that sentence. The CSR's job on a CO call is not to diagnose the furnace, reassure the caller that it's probably the battery or book Thursday's first slot. It is to get people out of the house and the right responders on the way, then follow up.

Why CSRs never troubleshoot CO by phone

Carbon monoxide is invisible and has no smell. People who are being poisoned often feel tired or confused, which makes them poor judges of their own safety. A CSR walking a caller through thermostat settings while CO builds up is keeping them inside longer.

The numbers are stark. Each year more than 400 Americans die from unintentional CO poisoning not linked to fires, more than 100,000 visit an emergency department and more than 14,000 are hospitalized; gas and oil furnaces are among the sources^[2]. CPSC estimates that about 170 people a year die from CO produced by non-automotive consumer products^[1].

Fuel-burning equipment is common: natural gas was used in 58% of US homes in 2020^[3]. Every heating company, and every multi-trade company with heating customers, will get these calls.

The protocol

1. 01

   Recognize the call

   Any mention of a CO alarm or detector, a "beeping alarm" the caller can't identify, or symptoms such as headache, dizziness, weakness, upset stomach, vomiting, chest pain or confusion in more than one person.

2. 02

   Instruct first

   Before any other question: "Please get everyone, including pets, outside to fresh air right now. Leave the door open behind you if it's quick to do."

3. 03

   Get responders

   "Once you're outside, call 911 or the fire department. If you also smell gas, call your gas company's emergency line from outside too."

4. 04

   No re-entry

   "Please don't go back inside, even for a moment, until the fire department or emergency services tell you it's safe." CPSC advises exactly this, and not trying to find the source yourself^[1].

5. 05

   Alert the on-call path

   Notify the on-call technician and manager with the address and what was reported.

6. 06

   Follow up

   Call or text the customer after responders have been. Schedule the technician only once the home is cleared.

7. 07

   Document

   Record the time, what the caller reported, the instruction given and who was alerted.

The exact words

Give CSRs a printed card with the wording and ask them to read it, not paraphrase it:

• "I'm going to stop you there, because your safety comes first."
• "Please get everyone, and your pets, out of the house to fresh air right now."
• "When you're outside, call 911 or the fire department. Tell them your carbon monoxide alarm is going off."
• "Please don't go back in until they say it's safe."
• "I'm letting our on-call technician know now. We'll follow up as soon as the fire department has been."
• "Can you confirm the address so I have it right?"

Keep the call short. The longer the caller stays on the phone, the longer they may stay inside.

When the caller pushes back

• "It's probably just the battery." Answer: "It might be, but we can't tell over the phone, and it's not worth the risk. Please step outside and call 911; they'll check it quickly."
• "We feel fine." Answer: "That's good, but carbon monoxide can affect people before they notice. Please go outside and let the fire department test the air."
• "I can't get the kids or grandparents out easily." Answer: "Call 911 now and tell them that; they'll help. Open windows and doors on your way if you can."
• "Can't your tech just come and look?" Answer: "We'll send someone once the fire department has cleared the house. They can get there faster and test the air."
• "I don't want to bother 911." Answer: "This is exactly what they're there for."

Gas smell calls

Gas smell calls follow the same shape with different responders. The caller leaves the home without operating light switches, appliances or phones inside, and calls the gas utility's emergency number or 911 from outside. The CSR does not ask the caller to find or turn off the gas meter unless the utility instructs them to. Many calls involve both a gas smell and a CO alarm; give both instructions. The same principles apply to electrical burning smells; see our electrical emergency triage.

After responders leave

When the fire department or utility has cleared the home, the work starts for your company:

• Call the customer back and schedule a technician quickly, usually the same day, especially if the heating system was shut off.
• Make sure the tech knows exactly what responders found and did, including any appliance that was tagged or shut off.
• The technician inspects the likely sources, tests for CO with a calibrated instrument and repairs or recommends replacement.
• No one restarts an appliance that responders shut off without a technician's inspection.
• In cold weather, apply your no-heat triage rules to decide how urgent the visit is.

Advice for the follow-up visit

Customers are often ready to listen after a scare. Technicians can share official guidance:

• CPSC recommends battery-operated CO alarms or alarms with battery backup on every level of the home and outside sleeping areas, and advises against placing them in kitchens or directly above fuel-burning appliances^[1].
• The CDC advises CO detectors near every sleeping area, replacing them as the manufacturer instructs or every five years, and having heating systems serviced every year^[2].
• Recommend annual maintenance for furnaces, boilers and water heaters, and checks of venting after storms or snow.

Answering services and AI call handling

Whoever answers your phones after hours must follow the same protocol word for word. Give your answering service the printed wording and test it with a mock CO call every quarter. If you use automated call handling, check that it recognizes CO calls described in different ways and gives the instruction before any other question. Ava, our AI Employee for home services, gives your approved safety instruction to leave and call 911 or the gas utility, then alerts your on-call path; test it with the same mock calls as any other answering option.

Training and drills

• Teach the CO protocol on a new CSR's first day, before booking procedures.
• Run a mock CO call in team meetings each quarter, with different pushbacks.
• Review every real CO call within a day: was the instruction first, was the call short, was the on-call path alerted?
• Include the protocol in your emergency triage guide and in storm-day procedures, such as for roof leak and tarp calls, when generators are in use.

Recording and documentation

Recorded safety calls are your best evidence that the right instruction was given. Federal law allows recording when one party consents^[4], but some states require all parties to agree, so use a recording notice. Keep CO call records with the job, including the time the instruction was given and who was alerted.

Example: a chirp at midnight

Example: a fictional HVAC company's after-hours line gets a call from a caller who says "something is beeping in the hallway, and my head hurts." The handler gives the instruction immediately, without asking about the furnace. The caller and two children go outside and call 911. The fire department finds elevated CO, shuts off the furnace and ventilates the home. The handler alerts the on-call tech, who arrives after responders leave, finds a blocked flue and makes it safe. The next week the company offers the family a heating maintenance visit and checks that their alarms are on every level and outside the bedrooms. The call took under two minutes; the instruction came in the first twenty seconds.