Jackson firefighters install free smoke detectors

JACKSON, Tenn. — Jackson firefighters installed smoke detectors in homes Wednesday free of charge.

Jackson C. Freeman had a smoke detector, but it was not working. “They installed four, one in each bedroom and one in the hall,” he said.

A crew went door to door on Lesa Drive checking smoke detectors, installing them and handing out fire safety information. “Smoke detectors are an early warning system that lets you know there’s a problem inside the house and you may have a fire,” Jackson Fire Marshal Lamar Childress said.

The Jackson Fire Department said two separate fires killed four people this year. Childress said they found a smoke detector in the first one but are not sure if it was working. He said they did not find any smoke detectors in the second fire that killed three people in Bemis.

“Smoke detectors need to be replaced at 10 years, and the batteries need to be replaced and checked every six months,” Childress said.

Freeman said he feels safer having smoke detectors. “It feels good to have safety, and it’s a wonderful thing that the Jackson Fire Department is doing,” he said.

The department said it installed 75 smoke detectors Wednesday and hopes to reach 1,000 by the end of the year. Childress said they have already installed more than 600 smoke detectors this year.

If you live in the city limits and need a smoke detector, call the Jackson Fire Department at 731-425-8347.