In honor of National Safety Month, we’re highlighting a Customer Service Field Technician who showed what it means to be a safety champion at SDG&E by going above and beyond to help our customers.
Jayson Faber, a Customer Service Field Technician (CSF) who has been with SDG&E for 22 years, recently experienced what can be described as a once-in-a-career scenario.
While working the night shift in late April, he responded to a call from a customer about a potential gas leak in an apartment complex in Oceanside. When Jayson arrived, the Fire Department was already on scene. They informed him they had found high levels of carbon monoxide (CO) in the home and had already turned off gas service and cleared the residents out of the apartment. Jayson proceeded to simulate the scenario that was present prior to the Fire Department arriving so that he could attempt to determine the cause of the high CO levels. During the recreation, the levels continued to rise even though there were no natural gas appliances on. He was getting CO reads out of a drain in the laundry room, which is very unusual.
At this point, since it wasn’t gas-related, Jayson could have left the scene. However, he described it as a “no brainer” to stay at the scene and help determine the cause of the high readings. “If I left, I could be leaving the customer unsafe,” said Jayson. “I knew I needed to figure out why this was happening.”
He went outside to think about what could be causing the issue and determined the CO must be coming from a different source. They started to investigate other areas, and when the Fire Department pried open the garage door of a neighboring unit, Jayson discovered very high CO levels inside. The Fire Department entered that unit through a second-floor window and found an elderly resident inside who was still responsive in the apartment with high levels of CO present. Thankfully, the windows in the house were open and the resident was evaluated and cleared by the paramedics. They ultimately figured out that the resident accidentally left their car running in the garage for hours that day and their open windows probably helped save their life.
After determining the source, Jayson proceeded to work with the first responders to clear all the neighboring units until it was determined to be safe for everyone to re-enter.
“Jayson could have left after verifying the issue wasn’t gas-related, but he didn't quit,” said Garrett Spahr, Field Operations Supervisor. “He knew something wasn't right and went the extra mile for our customers. He thought of all the various causes, and he kept digging until they were able to find the source. This is a great example of the professionalism displayed by our CSF colleagues every day.”
“It’s Always About the Customer”
When speaking about his approach to safety, it’s clear that making sure our customers are safe is Jayson’s top focus – not just that day in April, but every day.
“It’s always about the customer,” added Jayson. “No matter how long it takes, I wouldn’t walk away without knowing what the problem was and how we can fix it to keep our customers safe.”
Jayson said when he thinks back on the situation, one of his favorite quotes comes to mind: “If it’s important to you, you will find a way. If it’s not, you’ll find an excuse.”
Thank you to Jayson for demonstrating what it means to put safety first while serving our customers and communities!