Answering CO alarm calls
Darryl Kerley
Training Captain
Seymour (TN) Volunteer Fire Department
We recently placed in service our new CO monitor and began training our firefighters on how to approach this type of alarm. After reading several articles in Fire Engineering and other resources, we initiated our first training class on this topic. The first comment that came from one of the firefighters was, “CO alarms suck.” The next few days, I explored ways to create a positive attitude about CO alarm responses.
Our department covers about 200 square miles and has 70 firefighters and 12 vehicles. We have 8,000 homes in our response area, and we responded to more than 1,000 calls in 1995. A small percentage of these calls (25) were for CO alarms. Only one alarm was for an actual accumulation of CO. A 19-year-old left the car running in the family`s basement garage while loading books in the trunk. After about 10 minutes, the alarm sounded. It was the middle of summer and 907F outside; no other CO source was found.
As I walked through the steps for responding to a CO alarm, I realized that CO monitoring “SUX”; but if you do a good job, the homeowner will not “SUE.” The acronyms stand for the steps each responder should remember:
S–Signs and Symptoms. When the alarm room receives the call for a CO alarm, the first thing the dispatcher should do is question the caller about evidence of the signs and symptoms of CO poisoning: Does anyone have a headache? Is anyone dizzy, nauseous? Is an ambulance being requested? If the caller feels there is no need for an ambulance, the call is considered a nonemergency, and the caller is instructed to open the windows and doors and wait outside for the engine company to arrive.
U–Utilities. Once on the scene, the firefighters will reevaluate the caller for signs and symptoms of CO exposure, interview the caller about his utilities, and try to determine the source of the alarm.
X–eXplore and eXamine. If a possible source of CO cannot be determined during the utilities interview, the responder will consider other possibilities, such as determining if the structure could contain any of the other gases that may have caused the alarm and what the resident was doing just before the alarm activated. The responder must explore all possibilities before entering the structure.
Once the responder has all the facts, he can determine whether the personnel present have an adequate level of personal protective equipment needed for monitoring the home.
S–Sampling. Do you have the right equipment and the training necessary to undertake this task?
U–Understanding. Understand the problem and the correct sampling technique to determine if there is a problem.
E–Explain the results of your findings to the homeowner in a manner that will allow the caller to feel safe about staying in the house; or, if you find a problem you cannot correct, explain your reasons for recommending that the house be evacuated.
During our first training class, one of our applicants suggested we create a checkoff sheet that would be filled out on the scene of each CO alarm and that the sheet have a place for the homeowner`s signature, which would attest to the following: The fire department has investigated the alarm and reported the findings in a satisfactory manner, and the homeowner knows and understands what his responsibilities are after a CO alarm has activated.
Our firefighters no longer dread the CO alarms and are ready to follow the six steps to safe monitoring. We`re ready for the next task modern technology will throw at us.
