FDNY Foundation and FDNY Celebrate Grand Opening of New FDNY FireZone to Kick Off 95th Annual National Fire Prevention Week

Fire Commissioner Daniel A. Nigro took part in the grand opening of the new FDNY Fire Zone at 61 West 48th Street in Rockefeller Center on Monday, October 5. The Fire Zone is an immersive, interactive education center that gives visitors first-hand experience of what to do in a fire emergency through a variety of hands-on exhibits and multimedia presentations, including a simulated fire scene.

The grand opening of the FDNY FireZone marked the start of the 95th Annual National Fire Prevention Week. This year, a virtual Fire Prevention Day was planned for school children throughout the City. That event was streamed on www.FDNYSmart.org and is currently available. The virtual event brought together children from kindergarten to third grade across the five boroughs. Students learned fire safety and the importance of being prepared in case of an emergency from FDNY members and the Department’s fire and life safety mascots, “Hot Dog” and “Siren.” The event ended with Fire Commissioner Nigro swearing-in the children to be Junior FDNY members.

Joining Commissioner Nigro to mark the grand opening and start of Fire Prevention Week was FDNY Foundation board members, including Chairman Stephen L. Ruzow and Vice Chairman Robert Zito.

“There is no better time to celebrate the grand opening of our new FDNY FireZone than the start of Fire Prevention Week. We are grateful to the FDNY Foundation, which partners with the Department to educate all New Yorkers about the importance of fire safety,” said Commissioner Nigro. “Most importantly, our new, larger FireZone and programs such as today’s Virtual Fire Prevention Day enable us to accommodate more school children and residents who may be at higher risk for fire.”

“This grand opening culminates two years of careful planning and design work,” said Chairman Ruzow. “The Foundation Board collaborated with the Department’s fire safety experts to create this truly remarkable space for learning about fire safety and the work of the FDNY. I am grateful to the many donors that helped make the new FireZone a reality.”

The FDNY FireZone is currently open to the public Tuesday through Saturday, 11AM – 4PM with social distancing and safety measures in place.