The Kingsport (Tenn.) Fire Department is getting putting its fire safety message in residents faces — or at least their windshields and television screens.

This month marks the second year the department has launched an aggressive marketing campaign to coincide with Fire Prevention Week. The department is doing some familiar activities like conducting station tours, participating in The Great American Fire Drill, working with elementary schools, demonstrating home sprinkler and holding a citizens' fire academy. But it has also secured radio, television and billboard advertising space to push its fire-safety messages.

Public-Education Officer Barry Brickey said that about 68,000 vehicles would pass the five billboards each day. If only half of those vehicles have two occupants, the billboards will be seen by 102,000 individuals daily. And the best part is that the billboard company donated the space.

“Needless to say, Lamar Advertising's gift saved us thousands of dollars and helped us inform our community,” Brickey said. Lamar even helped design the ads. The department paid for the paper and the labor.

Brickey admits that it is hard to measure the success of this type of program because “a prevented fire is a nonevent.” However, he said that in 2006 the city had five fire fatalities and only one in 2007. The department has received a lot of positive feedback from those who'd seen the 2006 billboard campaign, he said.

Brickey served as the lynchpin in pulling this campaign together. Prior to becoming the department's education officer, he was promotions director for a local radio station group. In that capacity he not only worked on marketing campaigns, but developed relationships — such as the one with Lamar Advertising.