Baxter Smoke Alarm Campaign Starts Next Week

The Baxter Fire Department is starting a door knocking smoke alarm campaign this week.

Fire Chief Matthew White said the department is partnering with the State Fire Marshall’s Office and targeting the southeastern and northwestern portions of Baxter.

“They’re going to help us provide some material,” White said. “Basically, what we are going to be doing is going out, and instead of going inside everybody’s house, we are going to go by and leave some pamphlets and some information about fire safety and about how they can get a smoke detector if they’d like one.”

White said the department will then conduct home safety surveys and install smoke detectors for those interested.

“I did one about three years ago, and it was done in conjunction with the State Fire Marshall’s Office,” White said. “We were a little postponed because of the pandemic. That kind of thrown us off of our schedule that we had, and we are trying to get back on track.”

White said the targeted areas are at higher risk for home fires based on a community risk survey.

White said it is recommended that a smoke alarm is located in the living area, each bedroom and one on each floor. White said the program will run until supplies run out.

“We want to make sure that everyone has enough,” White said. “Different people have different type of structure houses, and we know that some people may require more than others. We want to make sure that they are practicing good fire safety tips. As we are installing some of these, we will be more than glad to pass more information to them.”