joining us this morning, fire commissioner dan nigro. and full disclosure -- and we say it proudly -- the fdny a partner with wabc tv in our annual "operation 7 save a life" campaign, which is under way right now. we pass out tens of thousands of kidde smoke detector every year. commissioner, thank you for joining us. >> well, it's my pleasure and a pleasure to be partnered with abc. >> oh, and for 17 years here in new york city. you are not the dan nigro from new york city who is the former lead singer and guitarist of the indie rock band as tall as lions. just want to clear that up. >> i am not, and i've never met >> maybe we can arrange it here on "upclose" sometime. we'll have like a little reunion between the nigros. is it that hard to be fire-safe? >> no, it really isn't. first of all, you need a working smoke alarm. you need more than one in your home. and we found last year 80% of the folks who died in their homes had no working smoke alarm. it's a tragic number. >> that means either no smoke alarm or a smoke alarm that's up ther

joining us right now is the new york city fire commissioner, daniel nigro. thank you so much for being here. >> my pleasure. ernie: our hat's off to you and the men and the women of the department. 17 percent decline in fire deaths last night, the second lowest in the city's history. >> life and property is what we do, save life and property. life is always first. to have a year like that, despite the fact we had a terrible loss of seven children in midwood, brooklyn, was very tragic. ernie: saving lives is a big tribute to the department. we found that the fdny emergency response hit the record 1.7 million that was handled. that's quite a number. i see it's up from the previous years as well. >> it is an unprecedented increase over last year and the year before, over 6-1/2 percent one year increase. the department has been able to keep up with that advanced amount of calls and continues to keep new york safe. ernie: that's a lot of work. also in the area of handling overdoses, which is a very delicate area. you've done well there, too. >> in the past 18 mon

((meg nigro, executive director for recruitment & development for this school year so far, 2,006 teachers we've hired which is amazing )) ((sharie johnson)) ccsd has a tentative agreement... increasing their starting salary to 40,000 annually... up from 35,000. and they hope to attract more fresh faces like savannah... a psychology major... a new found passion for teaching. ((savannah chavez it's really fascinating to see how all of their brains work slightly differently )) ((brian loftus)) ((kirsten joyce)) demetria obilor storm drain work continues at sahara and decatur. this is a pretty big project and the city of las vegas says everything is on track to finish up in september. no delays on i- 15 and sahara. < > < > > that's a look at the roads... back to you./// ((kirsten joyce)) > superbowl 50 is about a month away... and you'll be able to watch it right here on c-b-s. coldplay will be performing the half time show... along with a special guest. pepsi confirmed beyonce will be joining them on stage. beyonce headlined the 2013 pepsi sup

((meg nigro, executive director for recruitment & development for this school year so far, 2,006 teachers we've hired which is amazing )) ((sharie johnson)) ccsd has a tentative agreement... increasing their starting salary to 40,000 annually... up from 35,000. and they hope to attract more fresh faces like savannah... a psychology major... hoping to merge her degree with a new found passion for teaching. ((savannah chavez it's really fascinating to see how all of their brains work ((sharie johnson)) tonight at eleven... we hear from a local assistant principal... who has mostly new teachers at her school. the impact the first-timers to the classroom are making. ((dave courvoisier)) > the market turmoil continues on wall street... after the dow closed nearly 400- points in the red today. it's the third triple digit loss this week. the trouble started in china... where trading was automatically halted after stocks fell more than 7- percent... the market had been open for just 30- minutes. chinese regulators say they're going to suspend those circuit breakers... since they might be adding t

((meg nigro, executive director for recruitment & development we're going all out and we aim to fill every single vacancy because all the kids deserve a licensed teacher in front of them )) meg nigro is executive director for recruitment and development. she says ccsd has a tentative agreement... increasing the starting salary to 40,000 annually... up from 35. ((sharie johnson)) plus... you can get a $5,000 bonus for teaching at an at-risk school they hope this helps attract new teachers to the school district. sharie johnson, 8news now./// > ((paula francis)) > an update to the ongoing fight over a lawsuit that could dismantle the state's school choice program. nevada attorney general adam laxalt filed a motion to dismiss a third education savings accounts lawsuit. the suit was filed before christmas by lieutenant- capacity as a private lawyer. the e-s-a is designed to help parents choose the best school for their child... by providing funds... but some have argued that public funds could be used for sectarian purposes, violating the state constitution./// ((dave courvoisier)) > wha

having a lot of conversations with a pair of new york city commissioners over the next two days, daniel nigro joins us tomorrow and joe esposito on wednesday. we'll take a look at what they're facing and what their plans are for the new year. but first, russ is going to join me to talk about tom coughlin, are you ready for this, and the eagles. we'll be right back after the enrollment ends january 31st. there' s a place online where you always get more than you pay for. tjmaxx.com brands you love, at prices that work for you... anytime. maxx life! shop tjmaxx.com these little guys? they represent blood cells. and if you have afib-an irregular heartbeat times greater risk of stroke they can pool together in the heart, forming a clot that can break free and travel upstream to the brain, where it can block blood flow and cause a stroke. but if you have afib that's not caused by a heart valve problem, pradaxa can help stop clots from forming. pradaxa was even proven superior to warfarin at reducing the risk of stroke, in a clinical trial without the need for regular blood tests. and, in the rare

(((meg nigro, executive director for recruitment & development we're going all out and we aim to fill every single vacancy because all the kids deserve a licensed teacher in front of them )) ((kirsten joyce)) to get those teachers... c-c-s-d has a tentative agreement increasing the starting salary to 40-thousand per year, up from 35- thousand. and teachers who start at an at-risk school get a 5- thousand dollar bonus. currently, 90 percent of vacancies are in at-risk schools./// ((kirsten joyce)) > mayor carolyn goodman laid out her plans for 2016 at her state of the city address last night. she discussed how the city can and is improving education: ((mayor carolyn goodman: being able to access high quality education is another component to creating a world- class city. and as we know, poor educational systems impact each and every aspect of community life.)) she says education can impact not just student learning, but attracting business, building a strong culture, and controlling crime. education through city- sponsored programs. she also wants to bring more new business and jobs to

coming up, new york fire commissioner daniel nigro will talk about what his department faces in 2016. lots to get to. it's all next at 6:00. we'l it's the little things in life that make me smile. spending the day with my niece. i don't use super poligrip for hold, because my dentures fit well. before those little pieces would get in between my dentures and my gum and it was uncomfortable. even well fitting dentures let in food particles. just a few dabs of super poligrip free is clinically proven to seal out more food particles so you're more comfortable and confident while you eat. so it's not about keeping my dentures in, it's about keeping the food particles out. in new york state, we believe tomorrow starts today. all across the state the economy is growing, business incentives, the lowest taxes in decades, and university partnerships, attracting the talent and companies of tomorrow. like in utica, where a new kind of workforce is being trained. and in albany, the nanotechnology capital of the world. let us help grow your company's tomorrow, today at business.ny.gov ernie: it is

i spoke with philanthropist summer farkas and commissioner daniel nigro. >> this is wonderful broadcast that will tell the story of 150 years of the fire department. >> i've been with the department since 1969. >> that's a long time. >> i'll say. it's my life's work. i love the department. the department serves the citizens of new york well. >> we celebrate our bravest, thank you so much. fun, great event. thank you so much for sharing it "good day new yo >> "good day" fan of the hour brought to you by mazda, driving matters. >> norma, thank you so much for liking us on our f easy and affordable it is york state of health. best insurance plan that suits their needs. working with so many consumers, kinship or friendship, a bond and you see them on a consistent basis, so it becomes almost like a big family, it's fulfilling and it gives me, you know, hope that there is a better future

(((meg nigro, executive director for recruitment & development we're going all out and we aim to fill every single vacancy because all the kids deserve a licensed teacher in front of them )) ((kirsten joyce)) to get those teachers... c-c-s-d has a tentative agreement increasing the starting salary to 40-thousand per year, up from 35- thousand. and teachers who start at an at-risk school get a 5- thousand dollar bonus. currently, 90 percent of ((kirsten joyce)) > the chinese new year kicks off one month from today... but the bellagio is getting into the spirit a little early. here's a peek inside the conservatory and botanical gardens... it officially opens today and stays up through march 12th. it's the year of the monkey./// < ((sherry swensk)) cool and partly cloudy this morning with temps in the low 40s and cooler upper 30s now.... and it's a beautiful view up to the mountains with that two-plus feet of fresh powder up in the mountains. be safe if you are headed up to play. ........ we're taking a break from the storms today with some sunshine and clouds and quieter winds. rain and