COLUMBUS, Ga. - Columbus Fire & EMS takes requests for a smoke alarm through an online survey on the city's website, and installations are scheduled a week in advance on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. The same page lets residents ask for a home fire inspection, a fire station tour or fire safety training. With colder weather arriving and more people running heaters and fireplaces, the online request forms are one of the quickest ways to check a home's basic fire protection.

The city's pages do not spell out every detail, including who qualifies, how many alarms are provided or whether there is a cost. This guide lays out what the department says, what it leaves unanswered and who to call. Anyone who is unsure about a detail can start with the phone numbers listed in the table below.

How to request a smoke alarm

The request is made through an online survey at columbusga.gov/fire, on the "Request a Smoke Detector" page under the "How Do I" menu. The form asks for your name, address, phone, email, how many people live in the home and how many smoke alarms are already installed. Installation is scheduled a week in advance, on Tuesday and Thursday mornings, according to the city's page.

If the department makes two attempts to schedule the visit and gets no answer, the request is dismissed, so keep your phone nearby after you submit it. Questions go to fire educator Birdie Hicks at (706) 225-4218 or [email protected]. The page does not state eligibility rules, whether the alarms are free in every case or how many are installed per home, so ask Hicks before relying on those details.

Red Cross help with free alarms

In March 2025 the American Red Cross of Southwest Georgia and Columbus Fire & EMS installed 183 smoke detectors in Columbus homes in a single Saturday, March 8, according to WLTZ. The alarms use lithium batteries that last up to 10 years. Residents without a smoke alarm were told to contact their local fire station or the Red Cross to arrange a free installation.

The Red Cross says on its Georgia page that it and its partners can test existing alarms and install up to three free smoke alarms for homes that need them, and it directs residents to redcross.org/georgia to book. The organization's Georgia chapter said roughly seven people a day die in house fires in homes without working smoke alarms. Councilwoman Toiya Tucker said at the 2025 event that homes built in the 1980s or earlier likely lack smoke detectors.

Home fire inspections and station tours

A home fire inspection can be requested with a separate online form. It asks for your name, email, home address, two preferred dates and times, and a reason for the inspection. The city's page does not say what an inspection covers, what it costs or who is eligible, and businesses must use a separate self-service permit portal rather than the residential form.

Station tours have firmer rules. Tours are not scheduled for groups under 10 people, must be requested at least 15 days in advance and run during normal business hours, according to the department's page. The form lists stations 1 through 12, 14 and 15, and it asks for two preferred date and time options and the number of children and adults attending. Crews stay on duty during tours, so a visit can be rescheduled if firefighters are called out, and more than two reschedules cancel the event.

The department behind the forms

The city says Columbus Fire & EMS operates 14 fire stations with nearly 400 personnel and has served Columbus and the surrounding region since 1831. It reports responding to more than 40,000 calls for service a year, though a separate page on its Operations division cites about 57,000 emergency alarms annually, so the figures differ by page. In 2017 the department earned a Class 1 rating from the Insurance Services Office, the highest available, according to the city, and its pages show an accreditation decal for 2023 to 2028.

Other programs on the department's site

The department's programs page also lists a Knox Box program, the Yellow Dot program and a CFEMS Academy. The Knox Box requirement applies to new commercial buildings and certain existing buildings under the 2018 International Fire Code, and owners buy the boxes, according to the city. Business owners can call the Community Risk Reduction Division at 706-225-4212 for requirements.

For homeowners, the simplest steps are to test existing alarms, replace any that no longer work and ask for help if you cannot reach the ceiling. In an emergency, call 911 rather than using the request forms, which are for non-emergency scheduling. Hours and procedures can change, so check the city's pages or call before planning around a specific date.