The administration, City Council, and NY Red Cross this week announced the launch of #GetAlarmedNYC, a new fire safety program and, according to Mayor Bill de Blasio’s office, the largest smoke detector giveaway and installation program in the nation.
Spurred by the deaths of seven children from the same Brooklyn family, the $4 million fire and life safety initiative will provide free installation of 100,000 photoelectric combination smoke/carbon monoxide alarms to tens of thousands of city residents, targeting communities in all five boroughs that pose the greatest risks from fire, according to FDNY statistics and analysis.
Funding for #GetAlarmedNYC is provided by the Council and the nonprofit FDNY Foundation, while fire safety product manufacturer Kidde will contribute smoke alarms. The American Red Cross will be providing organizational support and volunteers who will work with fire safety educators from the FDNY Foundation and install the alarms in private homes and apartments, and provide fire prevention education information.
“One life lost to a fire fatality is one too many. Although our City has made great strides in the reduction of fire related fatalities there is still so much more we can do and by providing New Yorkers with the latest technology in smoke alarms,” said Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley, chairwoman of the Fire and Criminal Justice Services Committee. “Photoelectric alarms, provided through #GetAlarmedNYC, will give New Yorkers the greatest chance of surviving a fire.”
The initiative will span two years, with hundreds of alarms installed each week by volunteers from the American Red Cross. City residents can obtain more information about the program by calling 311. The FDNY and Red Cross will host community events in all five boroughs where city residents can schedule installations in their homes.
The smoke/carbon monoxide alarms that will be installed are sealed devices that do not require new batteries and are designed to last for up to 10 years, according to the administration.
“The message cannot be simpler: smoke alarms save lives,” said Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro. “While fire deaths are at historic lows, the FDNY is committed – more than ever – to do everything we can to protect New Yorkers, and that begins by making certain our residents have the first line of protection against fire and deadly carbon monoxide gas.”
In the city, the FDNY’s Bureau of Fire Investigations has determined that 70 percent of fire deaths in recent years have occurred in residences where there was no working smoke alarm – either with no alarm present, or missing or dead batteries in a device.
By Forum Staff
