New Fire Safety Program For Seniors Affected By Sandy Aims To Save Lives

As seniors prepare for another winter, many in homes battered last year by Superstorm Sandy, fire safety becomes a huge concern. According to a press release, the FDNY Fire Safety Education Unit will be installing smoke, carbon monoxide and hard-of-hearing detectors, as well as performing in-home safety reviews, for elderly and disabled residents whose homes had to be repaired following the events of Sandy.

The program comes courtesy of a $590,000 grant from the Department of Homeland Security and is earmarked for residents living within the realms of Community Boards 13, 15 and 18. The release described the reasons behind the program and how it might save lives:

With the cold weather season upon us, so many of us depend upon having heat in our homes to keep us warm, but with home-heating equipment such as portable space heaters and fireplaces, come certain risks. The possibility of fire increases by 33 percent during the winter months of December, January and February, with the FDNY reporting that fire remains the major causes of death in the home.

There were 106 fires attributed to Superstorm Sandy last year – 21 of which occurred during the powerful October 29, 2012 storm, and 85 fires in the months following, which were attributed to damage from the storm.

If you would like an installation in your home, you can call (718) 281-3872.

Thanks to Assemblyman Steven Cymbrowitz for providing the information on the program and the service. The assemblyman has encouraged constituents with any questions to contact his office too at (718) 743-4078.

Stay safe, everybody.