FDNY Foundation Supports FDNY During 2018 Fire Prevention Week

Junior firefighter and EMTs filled the Plaza at Rockefeller Center on Tues., Oct. 9 as hundreds of New York City school children joined the FDNY and the FDNY Foundation to celebrate National Fire Prevention Week 2018.

The special event brings children together with the New York City Fire Department to learn about fire safety and the importance of being prepared in the case of an emergency.

“Teaching children about fire and how they can be vigilant about fire safety will both empower them and help save lives,” said Fire Commissioner Daniel A. Nigro. “Events like these are a great example of the ways in which our free fire safety education program has the power to reach the populations most vulnerable to fire and reduce fire deaths. We are so grateful to the FDNY Foundation for funding this critical program.”

Fire Prevention Week is a national event, sponsored by the National Fire Protection Association since 1922. This year’s theme is: “LOOK. LISTEN. LEARN. Be aware. Fire can happen anywhere.”

The FDNY is hosting events throughout the city all week long. The main event took place on Tuesday at Rockefeller Center as Commissioner Nigro administered the Junior Firefighter and EMTs Pledge – an oath designed to remind children to practice fire safety – swearing-in the Junior Firefighters and EMTs.

The students traveled to Rockefeller Center from schools across the five boroughs and had the opportunity to interact with firefighters and fire equipment.

The students had the opportunity to watch demonstrations presented by the Fire Safety Education Unit, including a hands-on look at how cooking fires can begin and what smoke looks like inside an apartment or house.

“We know that the children go home and bring the information to their parents,” said Lieutenant Anthony Mancuso, Director of Fire Safety Education. “We could not do this event without the Foundation. We could not do the work we do every single day of the year. We want to reach these young people with our messages of fire and life safety. It is crucial that they learn this information and bring it home to their families. This is how the FDNY Foundation is helping the FDNY save lives throughout the city.”

“It is a great privilege to fund the FDNY’s Fire Safety Education program,” said FDNY Foundation Chairman Stephen Ruzow. “This is a program which we know helps to prevent deaths through education and we work tirelessly because we know that one death is one too many.”

For more information about the FDNY Foundation’s public outreach programs, including the Fire Safety Education Unit, click here.