Governor Phil Murphy • Lt. Governor Sheila Oliver

July 12, 2018 - New Jersey Division of Fire Safety Distributes Smoke Alarms as part of WABC Operation 7: Save a Life Program

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Thursday, July 12, 2018

 

Smoke Alarms Provided to the Elderly and People in Need in New Jersey

Trenton, NJ – The New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA), Division of Fire Safety recently completed a major distribution of residential smoke alarms to New Jersey communities as part of WABC-TV’s Operation 7: Save a Life program for the 20^th year running. The smoke alarm giveaway, which is underwritten by WABC New York and Kidde, provides alarm units free of charge to vulnerable populations such as elderly and low-income residents. 

“This enduring partnership with WABC is critical to getting life-saving smoke alarms into the homes of people who otherwise wouldn’t receive them,” said Lt. Governor Sheila Y. Oliver, DCA Commissioner. “We thank WABC for its commitment to fire safety and look forward to participating in this important program in the years to come.” 

Operation 7: Save a Life is a program created and run by WABC-TV, a major broadcast television station in New York City. Each year as part of Operation 7: Save a Life, the station provides both on-air and online fire safety programming in cooperation with Kidde, a major manufacturer of fire safety products. The program also includes the distribution of thousands of free smoke alarms to fire service agencies such as the New Jersey Division of Fire Safety in the station’s viewership area. The Division of Fire Safety, in turn, delivers the alarms to individual fire departments, which provide them to the elderly and disadvantaged within their respective jurisdictions. 

The Division of Fire Safety recently hosted distribution events at the Middlesex County Fire Academy in Sayreville and Kean University in Union where fire departments from Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean, Passaic, Union, and Warren counties received approximately 3,500 smoke alarms in total to give to residents who need them the most. 

The remaining complement of the 5,000 smoke alarms allocated to the Division of Fire Safety through the Operation 7: Save a Life program will be distributed during National Fire Prevention Week in October. 

“The New Jersey Division of Fire Safety is gratified to be able to assist the greater effort that WABC and its Operation 7: Save a Life partners make each year. We thank our local fire departments for working with us to help those residents who can least afford it, get the most fire protection possible,” said Richard Mikutsky, Division of Fire Safety Director and Acting State Fire Marshal. 

Approximately 60 percent of home fire fatalities nationwide result from fires in residences without working smoke alarms, according to the National Fire Protection Association. The association’s statistics also show that the risk of dying in a home fire is reduced by half in residences with working smoke alarms. 

The Division of Fire Safety serves as the central fire service agency in the state. The Division is responsible for developing and enforcing the State Uniform Fire Code, engaging the public on community risk reduction strategies, assisting in fire department preparedness, and conducting firefighter training programs. 

For more information about DCA, visit https://nj.gov/dca/ or follow the Department on social media: