Lakeside Firefighters Replace Smoke Detector Batteries at FS3

Lake Jennings Area - Firefighters at Lakeside's Lake Jennings fire station (fs3) added one additional task to their Saturday work routine on November 6, 2010. They took the time to replace the batteries in all of the smoke detectors in their fire station. Each of the four station bunkrooms (sleeping areas) and the hallway outside the bunkrooms have battery-powered smoke detectors.

While we constantly try and remind our citizens of the importance of having functioning smoke detectors in their homes, it is equally important that we "practice-what-we-preach" and take care of our living quarters at the fire station. Because of our unique shift schedule, firefighters spend as much as one-third of our working lives at our assigned fire stations.

Engineer/Paramedic Chris Downing said it best, "Since we are working an extra hour this shift (25 hours instead of 24, because of the time change), we thought we should put that extra hour to good use and make sure we had fresh batteries in all of our smoke detectors."

In fact, the International Association of Fire Chiefs bi-annual campaign is known as "Change your clocks, change your batteries." Lakeside Firefighters urge all of our citizens to take time today and change those smoke detector batteries.

Lakeside Firefighter/paramedic Lance Buford changes a smoke detector battery in the paramedic bunkroom at fire station 3.

Story and photos by: Captain Scott Culkin, Lakeside Fire District