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Fire Prevention Week

History

Fire Prevention Week is a nationally observed week in the United States and Canada from the Sunday to Saturday week in which October 9th falls.

In the United States, the first Presidential Proclamation for the week was made in 1925 by Calvin Coolidge. Since then, the parent organization of the Fire Marshals Association of North America who first created the week, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), continues to be the international sponsor of it.

The Fire Prevention Week commemorates the Great Chicago Fire. On the 40th anniversary (1911) of the Great Chicago Fire, the Fire Marshals Association of North America (FMANA), the oldest membership section of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), sponsored the first National Fire Prevention Day, deciding to observe the anniversary as a way to keep the public informed about the importance of fire prevention. In May 1919, when the NFPA held its 23rd annual meeting in Ottawa at the invitation of the Dominion Fire Prevention Association (DFPA), the NFPA and DFPA both passed resolutions urging governments in the United States and Canada to support the campaign for a common Fire Prevention Day. This was expanded to Fire Prevention Week in 1922. The non-profit NFPA, which has officially sponsored Fire Prevention Week since its inception, selects the annual theme for Fire Prevention Week.

In the United States, the first National Fire Prevention Day proclamation was issued by President Woodrow Wilson in 1920. When President Calvin Coolidge proclaimed the first National Fire Prevention Week on October 4–10, 1925, he noted that in the previous year, some 15,000 people died from fire in the United States. Calling the loss "startling," Coolidge's proclamation stated: "This waste results from the conditions which justify a sense of shame and horror; for the greater part of it could and ought to be prevented... It is highly desirable that every effort be made to reform the conditions which have made possible so vast a destruction of the national wealth." 

2024 Fire Prevention Theme

The theme for this year’s Fire Prevention Week is: 

SMOKE ALARMS: MAKE THEM WORK FOR YOU!

Smoke alarms are one of the best and cost-effective early warning devices you can have. The early warning from a smoke alarm not only alerts you of an issue, it buys you time to get out of the structure. With today’s materials used in construction and furnishings, a single room fire can reach 1000-1200 degrees Fahrenheit in a matter of just a couple of minutes, plus noxious smoke that is generated. Your body and your loved ones cannot tolerate those conditions. Having smoke alarms can save you!

What else can you do?

  • Have and practice a home fire escape plan. When you get out, “Stay Out.”
  • Have working CO alarms.
  • Have and know how to safely use a fire extinguisher.
  • When cooking, stay in the kitchen.
  • If using candles or other open flames, remain vigilant of them.
  • De-clutter frequently.
  • If you have to use extension cords, make sure they are of the correct size and grounded. Never place anything on top of extension cords.
  • Safely use accelerants and cleaning supplies.
  • Maintain your appliances and keep all vents clean and clear, including chimneys.
  • Monitor your open burning. Per Ohio Revised Code 1501.18, there is a Burn Ban in place during the months of March, April, May, October and November.
  • Think “Safety.” Common sense goes a long way in preventing accidents.
  • If a fire does happen, call 911 as soon as you can.

Every one of us should practice FIRE SAFETY. Fire Prevention Week is a good reminder of it, however, we need to make it a 24/7, 365 days a year thing. 

As we say in the fire service:

BE SAFE