American Alarm & Communications, Inc.

Lives Saved by Our Carbon Monoxide Monitors

When John and Carol were working with the security systems design professionals at American Alarm, they didn't give much thought to including carbon monoxide monitors in their home security system.

It wasn't the price— carbon monoxide monitors are not expensive. It was a question of need. The Waltham couple (last name withheld to protect their privacy) had a relatively new furnace. They used a reputable oil company, which serviced and maintained their furnace on a regular basis. They assumed the burner was in tiptop shape, so the threat of a Carbon monoxide build-up seemed impossible.

Nevertheless, when it came time to finalize their home security system, the couple agreed to American Alarm's strong suggestion that they include carbon monoxide monitors. That proved to be a life-saving decision. "Frankly, I pushed back a little when they suggested the Carbon monoxide monitors. I'd owned homes for 40 years and never needed one, but thank goodness we went with their advice," John said. "We owe our continued good health, and quite possibly our lives, to this system. If we didn't have that detector, as tired as we were that night, we would have slept for hours and the outcome could have been grievous."

The near-tragic incident unfolded in the early morning hours of February 13, 2005. While the couple slept, some tiles lining the interior of their chimney slipped and fell, blocking the flue. As a result, the furnace couldn't vent and carbon monoxide (CO), which is a byproduct of the combustion of oil, natural gas, wood and other fuels, began to back-up into the house.

Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless gas that can be fatal in high concentrations. According to the National Safety Council, 400 people die annually, and thousands more are injured, by Carbon monoxide poisoning. The biggest risk comes in residences at night, when people are asleep and Carbon monoxide builds up.

That's what happened to Carol and John, but fortunately, their monitored American Alarm system is always on duty. "When the alarm blasted, it was quite a scare. At first we didn't know whether it was an intruder or something else," Carol said. "When I got to the panel and I saw it said monoxide, I said 'Oh my God, this could kill us'. And in seconds American Alarm called, they told us it was Carbon monoxide and asked some questions to see if we were still coherent. They were great. The told us to open the windows and get out of the house."

As Carol and John put on their heavy coats, bracing for the cold February air, the Waltham fire department arrived on the scene. Using their sophisticated monitoring equipment, the firefighters confirmed lethal levels of Carbon monoxide in the basement and dangerous levels of the gas in the upper floors of the house.

The story, however, has a happy ending. The couple was not injured, and there was no significant damage to their home. "Carbon monoxide monitors are already required in home systems by law in Connecticut; and I'm sure other states in our area will probably follow," said Wells Sampson, vice president of American Alarm. "But we don't wait for mandates. We're always looking to make sure our security systems are state-of-the-art and offer our customers the highest degree of protection possible. That's why we always recommend Carbon monoxide monitors. It's not a big moneymaker for us, it's just the right thing to do." Contact us to learn how we can protect your home.

It's that professional attitude, and care for the customer, that convinced John and Carol to use American Alarm for their home security needs. "We interviewed several companies, and frankly the folks at American Alarm were the most professional, most knowledgeable of the bunch," John said. "They really helped educate us about the various components of the system and their professionalism was top notch. We felt we were going with the best, and now this incident, and the service we've had before and since then, proves we were right."