Crescent City Carbon Monoxide Safety Program
About the Partnership
The New Orleans Health Department’s Injury Prevention Program and the New Orleans Fire Department work together to reduce preventable injuries and deaths by helping residents identify home safety risks and obtain lifesaving alarms.
This partnership supports safer homes by combining public health education, fire prevention, home safety assessments, and professional alarm installation.
Carbon Monoxide Safety
Protect Your Family from Carbon Monoxide
Carbon monoxide can build up inside a home without warning. A working carbon monoxide alarm can alert you and your family before dangerous levels of the gas cause serious illness or death.
The New Orleans Health Department’s Injury Prevention Program works with the New Orleans Fire Department to provide and professionally install free 10-year combination smoke and carbon monoxide alarms in the homes of eligible Orleans Parish residents.
Request Alarm & Installation
Residents may also call the New Orleans Fire Department Community Relations Division at 504-658-4714 to request an alarm installation.
What Is Carbon Monoxide?
Carbon monoxide, also called CO, is a poisonous gas produced when fuel is burned. It has no color, smell, or taste, which means people may not realize they are being exposed.
Carbon monoxide can come from:
- Portable generators
- Gas stoves and ovens
- Furnaces and space heaters
- Fireplaces
- Water heaters
- Charcoal grills
- Cars, trucks, and other engines
- Other fuel-burning appliances or equipment
Carbon monoxide can build up when equipment is damaged, improperly installed, poorly maintained, or operated in an enclosed or poorly ventilated area.
Know the Symptoms
Carbon monoxide poisoning can feel like the flu. Common symptoms include:
- Headache
- Dizziness
- Weakness or unusual tiredness
- Nausea or vomiting
- Chest pain
- Confusion
- Shortness of breath
Severe exposure can cause loss of consciousness, permanent injury, or death. People who are sleeping may be overcome before they notice symptoms.
What to Do When an Alarm Sounds
Treat every carbon monoxide alarm as an emergency.
- Leave the building immediately. Get everyone, including pets, into fresh air.
- Call 911 from outside.
- Do not go back inside until emergency responders say it is safe.
- Seek immediate medical attention when anyone has a headache, dizziness, nausea, confusion, chest pain, breathing difficulty, or other possible symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning.
Do not ignore the alarm or assume that it is malfunctioning.
Prevent Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
Install and Maintain Alarms
- Install carbon monoxide alarms in appropriate locations throughout the home.
- Make sure alarms can be heard from sleeping areas.
- Test alarms regularly according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
- Never remove a battery or disable an alarm because it is sounding.
- Replace alarms when they reach the end of their service life.
Use Generators Safely
- Never operate a generator inside a home, garage, shed, carport, crawlspace, or other enclosed area.
- Keep generators outside and well away from doors, windows, and air vents.
- Never use a generator near a window, even when the window is closed.
- Point generator exhaust away from the home and neighboring buildings.
- Follow all manufacturer instructions.
Opening doors or windows does not provide enough ventilation to make indoor generator use safe.
Use Fuel-Burning Equipment Safely
- Never use a gas stove or oven to heat your home.
- Never burn charcoal inside a home, garage, tent, vehicle, or enclosed porch.
- Do not leave a vehicle running inside a garage, even when the garage door is open.
- Have furnaces, water heaters, fireplaces, chimneys, and other fuel-burning appliances inspected and serviced by a qualified professional.
- Do not use damaged or malfunctioning equipment.
Free Alarm Installation
In 2024, the New Orleans Health Department and New Orleans Fire Department announced a partnership to provide and install 10-year combination carbon monoxide and smoke alarms free of charge for Orleans Parish residents.
Uniformed NOFD personnel will visit the residence, assess its alarm needs, and install the appropriate alarms. The department also provides specialized smoke alarm systems for Orleans Parish residents who are Deaf or hard of hearing.
Request an Installation
Online: Select the button below to complete the NOFD alarm request form.
Request Alarm & Installation
By phone: Call the NOFD Community Relations Division at 504-658-4714.
For an active fire, a sounding carbon monoxide alarm, or a suspected carbon monoxide emergency, leave the building and call 911.