Jackson firefighters install smoke alarms

JACKSON, Tenn. — Jackson firefighters went door to door Thursday installing smoke detectors free of charge. Firefighters said statistics show they save lives.

Firefighters installed smoke detectors in homes along Skyridge Drive.

William Narez Black needed three new smoke detectors in his home. “These detectors will let me know there’s smoke in here that shouldn’t be here,” Black said.

Jackson Fire Marshal Lamar Childress said crews installed 52 smoke detectors Thursday. “We’ve run into a lot of elderly persons that do not have smoke detectors inside their structure, and we’re trying to take care of our at-risk population,” Childress said.

The department confirmed four people died in two separate house fires this year in Jackson. “We did find a smoke detector in one occupancy, not sure if it worked or not, and the other one we could not identify any working smoke detectors in the house,” Childress said.

Black said he feels safer with the new smoke detectors. “All homes should have this because I’ve seen too much tragedy during fires,” he said.

Jackson firefighters said they already have installed more than 700 smoke detectors in the city this year. The department hopes to install 1,000 smoke detectors by the end of the year.

If you need a smoke detector, call your local fire department.