AI receptionist for plumbers: what to say when a caller reports a gas leak

Short answer: An AI receptionist should tell a caller who reports a gas leak to leave the area and call their gas distributor’s emergency line, or 000 if there is a fire or immediate danger. Then it should alert your on-call plumber. It should never diagnose the problem, add its own safety tips or suggest a fix.

The same rules apply to any after-hours answering service a plumber uses, human or AI.

What should an AI receptionist say when a caller reports a gas leak?

It should tell the caller to leave the area and call their gas distributor’s emergency line, or 000 if there is a fire or someone is in danger, then hand the job to your on-call plumber. That is the whole of its safety message.

Six rules keep the call safe and useful:

• Direct, do not advise. Before asking anything, the AI tells the caller to leave the area and call the distributor’s emergency line or 000. Nothing more.
• Never diagnose. No guesses about where the leak is, what caused it or how serious it sounds.
• Never suggest a fix. It does not ask the caller to turn, check, reset or repair anything.
• Take the details, briefly. Name, address and a callback number.
• Alert the on-call plumber straight away, with a text summary.
• Use approved wording. The owner signs off the exact words before go-live.

Example wording to approve: “Please leave the area now and call your gas distributor’s emergency line. If there is a fire or anyone is in danger, call 000. I’m sending your details to our on-call plumber.”

Several distributors warn against using a phone near a leak. That is one more reason to give the direction first and keep the call short.

What does official guidance say to do if you smell gas?

Australian gas distributors and safety regulators give the same core message: get away from the area, avoid anything that could make a spark, ring the distributor’s emergency line, and ring 000 for a fire or a threat to life.

• Jemena (NSW) says to get out of the area and then report the leak on 131 909, and not to smoke or use a phone.
• ATCO (WA) lists light switches, electrical appliances and mobile phones among the ignition sources to avoid, and says to get clear of the area before calling 13 13 52.
• Energy Safe Victoria says to ring 000 straight away if there is a fire or emergency, and lists electrical switches and devices among the things to leave alone.
• Evoenergy (ACT) and Tas Gas Networks also point people to 000 when lives are at risk or there is a fire.

Their fuller checklists are for the distributor and emergency services to give, not your receptionist.

Which gas leak emergency number should callers ring in Australia?

The right number depends on which gas distributor runs the network at the caller’s address. Energy Safe Victoria tells Victorians to use the emergency number on their gas bill. These numbers come from each distributor’s or regulator’s own page, checked on 5 November 2026:

For a fire or immediate danger anywhere, the number is 000.

The table does not cover every network; the Northern Territory and some council-run networks are not listed. If a caller’s area is not in your script, the AI should still send them to their distributor’s emergency line or 000, and never guess a number. For bottled LP gas, Energy Safe Victoria says most cylinders and tanks show the supplier’s emergency contact.

Numbers change, so recheck them on each distributor’s page before they go into a script, and each year.

What should the AI say, and never say, on other urgent calls?

For burst pipes, no hot water and blocked drains, the AI should take the details, tell the caller what happens next and pass urgent jobs to your on-call plumber, without diagnosing or giving repair or safety instructions.

You decide what counts as urgent after hours. The AI asks what is happening, where and how bad it is, then alerts the on-call plumber or books the job under your rules.

How is LYD Plumber’s AI receptionist set up for emergency calls?

LYD Plumber’s AI receptionist answers in your business name, uses only the wording you approve, and never gives gas, electrical or water safety advice.

• Gas leaks: it tells the caller to leave the area and call their gas distributor’s emergency line or 000, then alerts your on-call plumber with a text summary.
• Other urgent calls: burst pipes, blocked drains and hot water failures are triaged, and urgent jobs go to the on-call plumber straight away.
• Your wording: the exact emergency script is confirmed with you before go-live.

See how the AI receptionist answers, triages and escalates calls. For calls that go unanswered, missed-call text-back can send after-hours wording that points urgent callers to your emergency process.

What it does not do:

• It is not an emergency service and does not replace the distributor’s line or 000.
• It does not judge whether a site is safe. It directs and escalates.
• Someone on your team still has to be on call and act on the alert.

The voice agent comes with the Launch plan, $170 a month on annual billing or $190 monthly + GST, with a 30-day free trial and 30 voice minutes a month. Elevate ($460 a month annually or $529 monthly + GST) includes 60 minutes, and Dominate ($710 annually or $749 monthly + GST) includes 100. Extra minutes are $0.68 + GST. Compare plans and included voice minutes, see how LYD Plumber works for plumbing businesses, or read answers to common questions about the AI.

This article is general information only. Follow the guidance of your gas distributor and state regulator, and in an emergency call 000.

To hear the emergency wording on a real account, book a free demo or start a 30-day free trial.