BAKER COUNTY, Fla. — The Baker County community is still reeling after a 13-year-old girl was killed in a fire Wednesday morning. Avery Brown was the oldest of nine siblings and a student a Baker County Middle School.
A neighbor living next to the victim's RV told First Coast News she and her husband were trying to call 911, but they could not get a signal. John Blanchard, the Director of Emergency Management for Baker County, said this is common in areas throughout the county.
"We jokingly say, sometimes you need to know if you can't call from the inside of your house, where you can go outside and actually step to make the phone call," Blanchard explained.
Blanchard said people who do not have cell service at their homes should have another way to call 911, like a landline. However, not everyone can afford phone service or internet. Blanchard said there are resources available for people who need help, including the Affordable Connectivity Program. It is a federal program that provides free phone service to low-income Americans.
"If you don't have access, you need to figure out what that access will be when you need it and come up with that plan, even if it's friends, families or neighbors. So there are resources available,” Blanchard said.
With the winter months approaching and the possibility of more people using alternative heat sources, Blanchard said it is a good time to come up with an emergency plan and practice it.
"When that adrenaline happens, you're going to forget what was said at the dinner table or around the living room. So you need to take a moment, especially with small children, and practice it so at least they have some type of idea when it happens," Blanchard said.
The Baker County EMS is teaming up with the Red Cross to install free smoke alarms to people throughout the county. To sign up for a free installation, click here.