CHOCOWINITY — Volunteers with the Chocowinity Fire Department are making available 100 smoke detectors secured through a grant from the state fire marshal’s office.

This is just another way the department serves the community, according to Tommy Pendley, Chocowinity’s fire chief.

“There isn’t a cost to anybody but we do have to install them in the Chocowinity fire district,” Pendley said. “The batteries are supposed to be good for 10 years but we are still telling everyone to check them quarterly.”

This is the third year the department has applied for and received the grant. In 2014, 150 detectors were installed and the department received 75 last year.

There are no income requirements, according to Pendley. Anyone interested in receiving a detector is asked to call the fire department at 252-946-6559.

“Then we’ll set up a date and time to go install them,” Pendley added. “They can even get two or three, it depends on the size of their house.”

Anyone receiving a detector is asked to fill out paperwork for grant documentation purposes, and the installation process itself is done quickly.

“We’re in and out in 15 minutes,” Pendley said.

Homeowners even receive a lesson on fire safety.

“When we go out we explain what the detectors do and we make sure they have a plan in place in case of fire,” Pendley said. “We do a little fire safety course like we do for the kids at school because lots of adults forget.”

Serving Chocowinity and its citizens is top priority for the fire department.

“We are 100 percent volunteer,” Pendley pointed out. “The fire fighters are going out to install these alarms on their days off from their jobs. They are going out to help protect people in our community on their own personal time.”

In other department news, the annual family portrait fundraising project just got underway. The department is also selling raffle tickets for Yeti coolers to be awarded during their spring car show.