January 17, 2012 - DCA Partners with ABC Channel 7 and Kidde in 14th Annual Operation 7 Save A Life Campaign
DCA Partners with ABC Channel 7 and Kidde in 14th Annual Operation 7 Save A Life Campaign Division of Fire Safety Receives 12,000 Smoke Detectors for New Jersey Households in Need |
TRENTON, N.J. – New Jersey Department of Community Affairs' (DCA) Acting Commissioner Richard E. Constable, III today accepted approximately 12,000 smoke detectors from ABC Channel 7 and Kidde as part of the television station's 14th Annual Operation 7 Save a Life campaign, which kicked off at The Pierre Hotel in New York City. The DCA's Division of Fire Safety will help distribute the free smoke alarms to eligible residents in the station's viewing area, which includes North Jersey and much of Central Jersey.
"The DCA wants all New Jersey residents to have access to life-saving equipment, like smoke detectors, regardless of their ability to pay for them. Money should never be a barrier to protecting your home or loved ones from a fire," said Acting Commissioner Constable. "This year's campaign will help our Division of Fire Safety reach the two most vulnerable segments of the population – children and senior citizens – who we have a moral obligation to care for and protect."
Operation 7 Save a Life seeks to increase public awareness about fire safety and prevention and focuses on how to prepare for and handle emergency situations. The campaign has helped distribute hundreds of thousands of smoke detectors to individuals who otherwise couldn't afford them. The smoke detectors are donated by Kidde. WPVI-TV, Channel 6 – the ABC-affiliated station in Philadelphia – conducts a similar campaign for communities south of Burlington County.
The Division of Fire Safety will send a notice to fire departments that free smoke detectors are available, and departments that choose to participate can come and pick up the detectors. Local firefighters will then hand out the detectors to residents, specifically focusing on senior citizens, lower-income residents, and those households with children. Many of the devices have gone to cities, including Newark, Jersey City and Trenton.
"The Division of Fire Safety is happy to once again partner with the Operation 7 Save a Life campaign, which is an outstanding program that helps protect some of our neediest citizens from fire," said Division of Fire Safety Acting Director William Kramer. "This campaign does save lives. In fact, it is one of the most effective fire safety education outreach programs we have in New Jersey."
Last year, the National Fire Protection Association announced that New Jersey is ranked among the safest states in the nation. The state also has one of the lowest fire death rates in the nation, falling far below the national average. National fire safety experts attribute New Jersey's great track record in fire safety to the State's effective outreach programs such as universal public fire and life safety education. Operation 7 Save a Life plays a significant part in the Division of Fire Safety's education outreach.
The Division of Fire Safety serves as the central fire service agency in the State. The Division is responsible for the development and enforcement of the State Uniform Fire Code, as well as for implementing public education and firefighter training programs. For more information, log on to http://www.nj.gov/dca/divisions/dfs/ on the DCA website.
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