Operation 7 Save a Life Campaign Launches

Fire Commissioner Salvatore Cassano speaking at the launch of the Operation 7 Save a Life campaign.

The FDNY joined ABC 7 on Jan. 17 to launch the Operation 7 Save a Life campaign at the Pierre Hotel in Manhattan. The 14th annual campaign includes a television program that will appear on ABC 7, urging New Yorkers to practice fire safety.

"This is a vital effort to save lives," said Fire Commissioner Salvatore Cassano. "We are here because we all have an invested interest in fire safety. [Our Fire Safety Education] program works through education, presentations and the Operation 7 Save A Life television special."

Fire Commissioner Salvatore Cassano and ABC 7 Anchor Bill Ritter.

Hosted by ABC 7 Anchor Bill Ritter and co-sponsored by New York-Presbyterian Hospital, The Home Depot and Toyota, the television special will include segments prominently featuring the FDNY, including fire safety education for people with disabilities, the importance of calling 9-1-1 in an emergency, the FDNY's social media presence, and the importance of having working smoke and CO alarms in your home.

As part of the campaign, Kidde - one of the campaign's sponsors - donated more than 30,000 smoke alarms that will be distributed through FDNY and other local fire departments. More than 650,000 smoke alarms have been distributed since the campaign's inception in 1999.

"We're taking our storytelling skills and applying them to fire safety," said Mr. Ritter. "We're going to save lives."

Operation 7 Save-A-Life will air on Sat., Jan. 21, on ABC 7 at 7 p.m.