Fresh Meadows, New York – Over 150 eastern and central Queens residents joined Assemblyman Weprin, Councilmember Rory Lancman, the FDNY, the American Red Cross and the Office of the Mayor for a smoke/carbon-monoxide alarm giveaway and forum on fire safety at the Hillcrest Jewish Center.

Community residents eagerly lined up for the free combination smoke/carbon monoxide alarms, as well as for fire safety demonstrations by both the FDNY and American Red Cross. With a recent carbon-monoxide scare in Bayside, and fresh memories from a spate of arson incidents in several Queens neighborhoods, fire safety was on the minds of many of those gathered in the Hillcrest Jewish Center ballroom.

Statements from both the FDNY and American Red Cross underscored the importance of fire preparedness, “In the 5 boroughs, we have about 7-12 fires every day; meaning about 2200 or greater local disasters each year.” said Clive Dawkins, presenter for the American Red Cross. The FDNY added that “80% of fire deaths are in homes without alarms and that having a working smoke alarm reduces chances of death by over 50%.”

“Queens is home to some of the city’s most beautiful homes. Yet having these older structures around mean we also have one of the highest rates of fire/fire alarm incidences in the city.” said Assemblyman David Weprin. “These free smoke/carbon-monoxide detectors, make our communities safer and more importantly, have the potential to save lives.”