The AmackerTown Volunteer Fire Department is hosting a community appreciation day Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

AmackerTown Fire Chief Christopher Sherman said he organized the event to bring county emergency responders and medical personnel together to meet with the community.

Several firefighters, police officers, EMT’s and Pearl River County Emergency Management Director Danny Manley will attend the event at 44 Baughman Road in Poplarville, Sherman said.

“The idea is that we are going to promote safety in our community,” Sherman said.

Sherman and other emergency responders will be speaking to residents about simple ways to help keep them safe, he said.

Some of the tips to be shared that day include keeping their driveways clear so traffic can get in and out, ensure road signs are free of vandalism, mailbox letters are legible and to equip homes with smoke detectors and fire extinguishers, Sherman said.

The event will have a demonstration by AAA Ambulance Service, an introduction from firefighters and conclude with a statement by Sherman, he said.

“We’re trying to reach out to the community and let them know that we’re there,” Sherman said.

The department is currently looking for additional volunteers and for sites to put reserve water tanks, he said.

“We want anybody who’s got any skill that they could offer the department,” Sherman said.

He said that doesn’t have to include responding to calls, going to wrecks or fighting a fire behind a hose.

When Sherman isn’t responding to calls, he has another skill set he offers to the community, as a teacher at Pearl River Central High School.

After volunteering for years at the Derby Volunteer Fire Department, Sherman moved further north into the county, he said.

“I realized that this community needed someone to step up,” Sherman said, who has been fire chief for about a year and a half.

During that time, he said he has seen many preventable accidents due to speeding and careless driving, some resulting in serious injuries and fatalities.

Sherman also warned residents to be prepared for flooding, tornadoes and fires.

His district extends from the Marion County line to the Crossroads Community to Derby and up to the North Central district, Sherman said.

Most of that area is rural, and emergency vehicles can have difficulty getting to homes that have long, unnamed driveways with low branches, he said.

When driveways are clear of debris and addresses are clearly displayed, it makes it easier for emergency vehicles to respond to a call, Sherman said.

Yet even during severe storms, Sherman said, “We’re coming, we will find you.”