FDNY Urges New Yorkers to Change the Batteries
in Their Smoke Alarms when They Change Their Clocks

Hot Dog, the fire safety mascot, changes the clock for Daylight Saving Time at the Hilton in Times Square as Chief of Department Salvatore Cassano and Marilyn Monroe look-alikes stand below.

What do Hot Dog, the FDNY’s fire safety mascot; 9-volt batteries; school children; Times Square; Domino’s Pizza; the American Dairy Association and Marilyn Monroe have in common? The answer: Fire Safety.

Members of the FDNY’s Fire Safety Education Unit joined representatives from Domino’s and the American Dairy Association on Oct. 30, outside the Hilton in Times Square, to remind New Yorkers to change the batteries in their smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors when they change their clocks for Daylight Saving Time.

“Just because tomorrow is Halloween doesn’t mean you can forget about fire safety,” said Chief of Department Salvatore Cassano. “Having a working smoke alarm can save your life.”

Members of the FDNY Fire Safety Education unit gave fire safety tips to 50 children from the Sacred Heart of Jesus School and distributed smoke alarms, batteries and literature about how to prevent fires in the home.

Hot Dog, the FDNY’s fire safety mascot, also was elevated by a tower ladder to change the large clock above the Hilton’s entrance.

During the event, 50 children from Sacred Heart of Jesus School learned tips about how to stay fire safe and took the Junior Firefighter oath.

“Now you can be Junior Firefighters at home, and make sure adults change the batteries in their smoke alarms this weekend,” said Lt. Anthony Mancuso, Director of the Fire Safety Education Unit.

In addition, Domino’s Pizza brought 25 Marilyn Monroe look-alikes to the event to give away free “American Legends” pizza. The pizza chain will donate $1 from the sale of each “American Legends” pizza to the FDNY Foundation, pledging to donate up to $40,000.

The FDNY Fire Safety Education Unit has held over 4,200 fire safety presentations educating approximately 387,000 New Yorkers in 2009. At these events, they have distributed nearly 4,000 smoke alarms and 62,000 batteries, with an additional 40,000 batteries to be distributed by the end of the year.

Learn more about how to keep your home fire safe.