Lack of Working Smoke Detectors a Huge Problem in NYC's Vulnerable Communities

 U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand announced this month that New York City has received $937,905 in federal funding for the FDNY Foundation Inc. According to a report in Kings County Politics, the money will be used to advance FDNY Foundation’s New York City fire prevention campaign, “Fire is Everyone’s Fight – Get Alarmed NYC.” The program aims to reduce fire and carbon monoxide related deaths in the city.
Senator Gillibrand says the lack of working smoke detectors continues to be the single most significant risk factor in fire emergencies. This money will fund both smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors to 20 of the most vulnerable communities in New York City. Gillibrand said she hopes these steps will help drastically improve the safety of at-risk communities. Hopefully, this will save hundreds of lives and prevent many more injuries in these vulnerable neighborhoods and communities.

Why Smoke Detectors are Crucial
Every year in the United States, there are more than 350,000 home fires resulting in over 2,500 deaths. Of these deaths, 60 percent involve fires where there is no working smoke alarm present. Smoke alarms are crucial elements in the early detection of fires. Smoke and toxic fumes spread through a home much faster than the flames. Smoke is especially hazardous because it may cause smoke inhalation injuries, which research shows, can actually be deadlier than burn injuries sustained in a fire.
Smoke inhalation may cause respiratory burns, lightheadedness, nausea, confusion and sleepiness. Smoke inhalation is the primary cause of death in many fire accident victims. Also, about half of home fire deaths occur between the hours of 11 p.m. and 7 a.m., when residents are asleep. Without a smoke alarm to wake residents and alert them to the danger, victims are likely to succumb to carbon monoxide poisoning or smoke inhalation injuries.
Because families may have as little as two minutes to get out of their homes once a fire starts, smoke alarms provide the warning that residents need to safely escape. It is estimated that one in five homes in the U.S. does not have a single, working smoke alarm. Having a non-functioning smoke alarm is just as dangerous as not having a smoke alarm at all.
What NYC Laws Say
Landlords and property owners and property managers in New York City are required under the Housing Maintenance Code to provide, install and maintain smoke detecting devices in each unit. All smoke detectors must emit an audible alert when the batteries die. Property owners and property managers are also required to provide and install at
least one approved carbon monoxide alarm within each dwelling unit.
According to the American Red Cross, fire deaths in homes with working smoke detectors is 51 percent, far less than the rate for homes that lack such protection. Smoke detectors cut the chance of death by smoke inhalation or burns by nearly half. About 890 lives a year may be saved if all homes had working fire alarms. Property owners and property managers have a responsibility to make sure their properties have working smoke alarms and sprinklers.
Compensation for Injured Victims
Smoke inhalation and burns are devastating injuries, which may require lengthy hospitalization, multiple surgeries, skin graft procedures and extensive rehabilitation. There may be a number of liable parties in fire accidents including landlords or property owners and property managers. In such cases, victims or family members of deceased victims may be able to file what is known as a premises liability claim. Injured victims may be able to seek compensation for damages including, but not limited to, medical expenses, lost wages and benefits, hospitalization, rehabilitation, permanent injuries, disabilities, past and future pain and suffering, etc.
If you or a loved one has been injured in a fire caused by the lack of smoke detectors or due to non-functioning smoke alarms, the experienced New York personal injury attorneys at the Law Offices of Kenneth A. Wilhelm can help you better understand your legal rights and options, and also fight hard to recover just compensation for you. Our firm recovered $985,000 out of a $1,000,000 policy in a fire accident case where injuries were sustained because the homeowner did not have smoke detectors installed in an apartment. One of our clients recovered $2,500,000 due to a faulty space heater.
Please contact us TOLL FREE 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 1-800-WORK-4-YOU (1-800-967-5496). WE CAN EVEN COME TO YOU. There is no attorneys’ fee unless we recover money for you. We can also help with personal injury cases in New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, or Florida. If you have been seriously injured in any of the 50 U.S. states, please call us and we will try to help you with your case.
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Source: http://www.kingscountypolitics.com/brooklyn-lawmakers-move-sept-1-2016/