To commemorate the 70th anniversary of The Hartford’s Junior Fire Marshal program, The Hartford’s Chairman and CEO Christopher Swift rang The Closing Bell® at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) on Nov. 16. Joining Swift from The Hartford was Chief Financial Officer Beth Bombara and Chief Marketing and Communications Officer Kathy Bromage. In addition, FDNY Lieutenants Michael Kozo, John Errico, and Steven Vano, Firefighter Frank Vanderlofske and six students in kindergarten through third grade from P.S. 63 in the Bronx also joined Swift on the platform to raise awareness of the importance of fire safety.

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The Hartford commemorates the 70th anniversary of its Junior Fire Marshal program by ringing The Clo ...

The Hartford commemorates the 70th anniversary of its Junior Fire Marshal program by ringing The Closing Bell at the New York Stock Exchange. (Photo: Business Wire)

The Hartford’s Junior Fire Marshal program, which is one of the country’s oldest corporate-sponsored public education programs, started in 1947. Since the program’s inception, more than 110 million children have been deputized as junior fire marshals.

“We are proud of the legacy of the Junior Fire Marshal program and remain committed to educating children around the country to be fire safe,” said Swift. “It is an honor to be at the NYSE to ring the closing bell with some of New York City’s bravest and a few of our 2017 junior fire marshals to raise awareness of the importance of fire safety education. Our goal is to empower everyday kids to become everyday heroes by providing them with the tools and training to reduce the risk of home fires.”

Earlier this year, The Hartford made a three-year commitment to donate $2 million to educate 1.5 million children about fire prevention and safety in the 100 U.S. cities with the highest home fire risk as identified in The Hartford’s Home Fire Index. In addition to the financial contribution, The Hartford will distribute free Junior Fire Marshal kits to each K-3 classroom in the public school districts in those 100 cities. The Hartford Junior Fire Marshal classroom kit comes with The Hartford’s signature red fire helmets, an educator and parent guide and coloring posters designed to introduce fire safety concepts to children.

In addition to the pledge and financial commitment, The Hartford created a mobile fire safety house to visit schools in select cities across the U.S. to immerse students in fire safety demonstrations using state-of-the-art technology that simulates various home fire situations.

P.S. 63 Students Deputized Earlier This Year

This past June, former New York Yankees legend Mariano Rivera, and the New York City fire department, celebrated Junior Fire Marshal day by educating students at P.S. 63 Author’s Academy in Bronx, NY about fire safety. More than 200 students were deputized as junior fire marshals and participated in simulated fire drills in The Hartford’s Mobile Fire Safety House. In addition to the on-site event, The Hartford provided a $10,000 grant for fire safety education to the FDNY and will also be providing a $10,000 grant to the Bronx public school district along with Junior Fire Marshal educational materials to children in kindergarten through third grade.

The History of the Junior Fire Marshal Program

The Hartford’s Junior Fire Marshal signature red fire helmets have been displayed proudly by generations of children who have learned the basics of fire safety through this innovative and educational program.

The Hartford’s Junior Fire Marshal program teaches children lifesaving lessons such as Stop, Drop and Roll, Go Low in Smoke and Draw a Home Fire Escape Plan. These lessons, along with other fun, engaging and educational activities, help parents and teachers have meaningful and vital fire safety conversations with children and students.

Over the years, celebrities such as Ron Howard, Dick Van Dyke, Jack Benny, Jimmy Dean, Mr. Green Jeans and Captain Kangaroo, Carol Channing, Red Skelton, Johnny Carson, Robert Young, Henry "the Fonz" Winkler and Presidents John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan have helped The Hartford recognize children who participated in the Junior Fire Marshal program.

For more information about The Hartford’s Home Fire Index and Junior Fire Marshal Program, visit www.thehartford.com/jfm.

About The Hartford Home Fire Index

The Hartford Home Fire Index is based on a study of the largest U.S. cities with a minimum of 80,000 housing units as reported by the 2010 U.S. Census. The Hartford calculated a rate of residential fires using the number of residential structure fires from the 2014 National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS) data, dividing by 2010 U.S. Census housing units. The Hartford also conducted a survey on fire safety and prevention behaviors among the general population in late 2016 and in early 2017. Survey respondents (approximately 100 per city) were given a score based on adoption of fire safety best practices. Standardized fire rates and survey scores were averaged to produce a composite score for each city.

About The Hartford

The Hartford is a leader in property and casualty insurance, group benefits and mutual funds. With more than 200 years of expertise, The Hartford is widely recognized for its service excellence, sustainability practices, trust and integrity. More information on the company and its financial performance is available at https://www.thehartford.com. Follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/TheHartford_PR.

The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc., (NYSE: HIG) operates through its subsidiaries under the brand name, The Hartford, and is headquartered in Hartford, Conn. For additional details, please read The Hartford’s legal notice.

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