Parsonsburg VFC and Perdue Partner for Community Safety with Installation of In-Home Smoke Detectors
Salisbury, Maryland (Saturday, March 21, 2026) — Fire deaths remain a serious concern across Maryland. In 2025, the state recorded 69 fire-related fatalities, and early estimates indicate approximately 20 lives have already been lost this year. Tragically, the Parsonsburg community has experienced this loss firsthand. Within the past six months, two separate house fires in the Parsonsburg Volunteer Fire Company service area claimed the lives of two adults and a child.
On Saturday, volunteers from Perdue AgriBusiness’ Emergency Response Team in Salisbury, Maryland, teamed up with the Parsonsburg Volunteer Fire Company to go door-to-door and install some of the 100 smoke detectors donated by Perdue in homes that need them most.
They visited 79 homes and discovered seven homes had no working smoke alarms, three homes needed batteries replaced, and many homes only had one working smoke alarm, and others had smoke alarms at least 10 years old. By the end of the day, the teams installed 21 new alarms to help keep families safe.
“At Perdue, safety is our top property, both inside our company and in our communities that we call home,” said Glenn Costa, chief of Perdue AgriBusiness’ Emergency Response Team. “This isn’t just about donating equipment — it’s about our people rolling up their sleeves knowing we are doing something that can literally save the life of someone in our community – our neighbors.”
This partnership aligns with the company’s Delivering Hope To Our Neighbors® outreach to improve quality of life and build strong communities where our associates live, work and raise their families.
The Parsonsburg VFC, which relies on community support and volunteerism to serve its residents, sees this collaboration as a step forward in fire prevention.
“Early notification is the single most important factor in surviving a home fire,” said Michael Parsons, chief of the Parsonsburg VFC. “Smoke detectors are a small investment for homeowners to make to protect the safety of their loved ones. Partnering with Perdue allows us to reach more homes and prevent the kind of heart-wrenching tragedies we’ve seen too often recently. We are grateful for their commitment to our community’s well-being.”
If you do not have a working smoke alarm in your home, the Parsonsburg Volunteer Fire Company is here to help. Residents can call the fire station at 410-742-2408 to request a visit, and firefighters will come to your home to install a smoke alarm or check your existing alarms at no cost.
Ask yourself a simple but important question: if a fire started in your home at 2 a.m., would your smoke alarm wake you up? Working smoke alarms provide the early warning families need to escape safely. Fire officials also encourage every household to discuss and practice a home escape plan and establish a meeting place outside so everyone knows what to do when seconds matter.