Located in northern Florida, Baker County is far from the touristy hot spots and supports a largely rural population. As First Coast News reports, residents are still reeling from the news of a devastating fire that took the lives of four family members. In the wake of the tragedy, residents are clamoring for a cell tower, believing that their safety depends on it.
“We’re in a rural area and that’s where we want to be and we love it, but it would be nice to have a cell tower so we can get ahold of 911,” said a neighbor, Mark Baker. “We depend on each other out here, we help each other out, we’re a tight little town out here.”
While the deadly fire is still under investigation, residents have expressed concerns about the emergency response time. Firefighters reportedly took nine minutes to arrive. The fire station is more than five miles away. The house’s location on a wooded dirt road would have also made it more difficult to locate. A strong cell signal to provide GPS directions would be a boon for the area, residents noted.
There is no cell service in the region, noted Melody Baker. She works at a local gas station and said that people come in all the time to ask for directions or to use the landline. Travelers stop in “All the time,” she told the News. “Constantly we have people coming in because they’re lost, needing directions.”
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