The FDNY and Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson hosted a free fire safety workshop Thursday at R.A.I.N. Parkchester Older Adults Center.

Everyone in attendance was urged to sign up for a free smoke alarm installation and told what to do in case of an emergency. Each person was shown how to properly use a fire extinguisher and how to identify if they live in a fireproof building

This all comes amid an uptick in fires across the city recently. The FDNY says it responded to nearly 240 fires in 2023 and that older residents were the most vulnerable.

"Sometimes they may put on a space heater or they may have a stove turned on for heat purposes and forget to turn off the flame," says Anderson Torres, president and CEO of R.A.I.N. "So, it's very important to have this topic front and center and reinforce the message of safety."

Thursday’s event is just the start of a series of workshops that the borough president will be hosting. The next one will be this Saturday at the Bronx Zoo from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.