Garden City, NY - October 4, 2017 - Nassau County and Suffolk County are joining forces once again with Long Island McDonald’s to kick off their 31st Fire Prevention Month together, a initiative running throughout the month of October which aims to spread the word on the importance of not only preventing fires in the home, but also arming residents with the know-how for how to survive one, should it unfortunately come to pass.
Nassau County and Suffolk County are joining forces once again with Long Island McDonald’s and Kidde to kick off their 31st Fire Prevention Month. Photo Credit: Chris Boyle
The event, held in the form of a press conference on October 3 at the Nassau County Firefighters Museum and Education Center in Garden City, attracted a number of local businessmen, dignitaries, and firefighting personnel. Museum Director Alana Petrocelli, who oversaw the proceedings, said that while October is indeed Fire Prevention Month, fire safety is something that should be taken seriously year-round.
The event, held in the form of a press conference on October 3 at the Nassau County Firefighters Museum in Garden City. Photo Credit: Chris Boyle
“Today is a very important day as we kick off Fire Prevention Month, and our theme this year is ‘Know Two Ways Out’,” she said. “However, we at the Museum like to say that every month is Fire Prevention Month, because it is such an important topic, but we're here today to teach you a little bit about fire safety and officially kick off the month.”
Long Island McDonald’s and Kidde donated 250 Kidde “Worry-Free” 10-year sealed lithium battery smoke alarms and 50 carbon monoxide alarms to Nassau and Suffolk county fire marshals. Photo Credit: Chris Boyle
As is the case every year, Long Island McDonald’s and Kidde – a leading manufacturer of residential fire safety products – donated 250 Kidde “Worry-Free” 10-year sealed lithium battery smoke alarms and 50 carbon monoxide (CO) alarms to Nassau and Suffolk county fire marshals. The vital home safety devices will be given for free throughout the month to children and families who are unable to afford them, according to Suffolk County Fire Marshal Don Lynch, who was also in attendance at the event.
Suffolk County Fire Marshal Don Lynch. Photo Credit: Chris Boyle
“46 percent of all residential house fires every year end in death. 70 percent of those houses have a missing or dead battery in their smoke detector. It's clear that we've gotten the message out that houses need smoke detectors, but perhaps the maintenance is where we're being deficient,” he said. “These new Kidde smoke detectors have a 10-year battery, and that's going to go a long way to decreasing that 70 percent and hopefully reduce the number of deaths. On behalf of Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone, I want to thank Kidde and Long Island McDonald's for donating the smoke detectors to us and helping us to save lives.”
Nassau County Firefighters Museum and Education Center Director Alana Petrocelli. Photo Credit: Chris Boyle
Nassau County Assistant Chief Fire Marshal Mike Uttaro echoed the sentiments of his comrade from Suffolk County, saying that the single most important thing a family can have in their home to safeguard their lives against the threat of fire is a properly working smoke detector.
Nassau County Assistant Chief Fire Marshal Mike Uttaro. Photo Credit: Chris Boyle
“There's no doubt that a smoke detector in a home is the single most important aspect to a family when a fire breaks out. Knowing how to safely get out of your home and notify the authorities that you're having a fire, coupled with knowing two ways out so you know that if one way is blocked, you have another way to escape, is so important,” he said. “People are learning more, and Kidde’s products and the program that McDonald's does every year helps children and their families throughout Long Island understand the importance of fire safety, and are helping us meet our goal of zero fire deaths here on Long Island.”
Long Island McDonald’s Marketing and Public Relations Director Luciana Montuoro. Photo Credit: Chris Boyle
To help spread the word during the month of October, local Long Island McDonald's restaurants are giving away a fire safety quiz to their young customers; on the back of each quiz, there is an escape plan that follows Fire Prevention Month’s 2017 “Know Two Ways Out” theme. Once children have established that they are aware of an effective escape plan from their home and all activities on the quiz have been completed, they can turn in a coupon that comes with the sheet to receive a free grilled chicken snack wrap and a drink (with any purchase) from their local participating Long Island McDonald's restaurant.
Suffolk County Fire Marshal Don Lynch presents a proclamation to Long Island McDonald's. Photo Credit: Chris Boyle
Josh Kaufman, President of the Long Island McDonald's Owner and Operators Association, noted that his organization represents 80 McDonald's restaurant locations on Long Island, and that this year represents their 31st annual participation with the Nassau and Suffolk County Fire Departments in their Fire Prevention Month initiative.
President of the Long Island McDonald's Owner and Operators Association Josh Kaufman. Photo Credit: Chris Boyle
“So many of our customers are children and their families, so it's really a value of ours to promote healthy lifestyles, balanced eating, and safety in the community,” he said. “It is our pleasure and a privilege to get to partner with the fire departments to help support fire safety and prevention and the overall safety of the families in our communities.”
Long Island McDonald’s Marketing and Public Relations Director Luciana Montuoro honors recently-retired Nassau County Fire Marshal Vincent McManus. Photo Credit: Long Island McDonald’s
Luciana Montuoro, Long Island McDonald’s Marketing and Public Relations Director, said that she takes pride in the fact that her organization has been very active and entrenched in the communities in which they do business.
“As our founder Ray Kroc said, we have an obligation to give back to the community that gives us so much, and that none of us are as good as all of us,” she said. “Our fire safety program has been in existence for 31 years, and it involves over 186 fire departments on Long Island. These firemen get the fire safety materials into the schools and speak on the importance of fire safety to the kids. And I want to thank Kidde for donating the smoke detectors and CO2 detectors that will be given out for free this month to families that need them…this program, and others that we sponsor throughout the year, speaks volumes to what we've accomplished together.”