Contact
One email address, read by one person. It is the right place for corrections and the wrong place for anything that needs an answer today.
If there is a fire, a carbon monoxide alarm sounding, a burn, or anyone unwell, leave the building and call 911 from outside. Nothing here is monitored, and no message sent to this address will reach anybody in time to help.
The address
There is no contact form on this site, deliberately. A form implies a queue and a service level, and there is neither. Mail goes to one person who reads it when there is time.
What the address is good for
- A factual correction to a page, with the page name and the point at issue. These are welcome and they get made.
- A broken link, a broken layout, or something that reads wrongly on a phone.
- A subject the site ought to cover and does not.
- A guidance document or agency page that contradicts something written here.
Corrections that change the meaning of a page are made in the text of the page itself, and the review date at the top moves. The editorial rules are set out in full on the about page.
What it cannot do, and where to take it instead
| What you need | Where it belongs |
|---|---|
| Anything happening right now | 911, from outside the building |
| A suspected swallowing or poisoning | Poison Help, 1-800-222-1222, staffed around the clock |
| Whether your home has enough alarms, or a free alarm programme | Your fire department's non emergency line, which will often visit |
| What your local code requires | Your fire department or your state fire marshal's office |
| A device that will not stop chirping, or a warranty question | The manufacturer named on the back of the unit |
| A landlord who has not fixed an alarm | A written request to the landlord first, then your local housing or code enforcement office |
| Medical advice about a burn or an exposure | A clinician. The burn page lists the burns that need an emergency room |
| A product recall | The federal recall database, linked from the references page |
What to expect
Mail is read. Not every message gets a reply, and there is no promised response time, because promising one would be a promise nobody here can keep. Messages asking for a personal assessment of a specific building will not be answered, since giving one responsibly is not possible by email.
What happens to what you send is set out in the legal notice: no list, no newsletter, nothing passed on.