National Fire Prevention Week


Fire Prevention Week, National

Week including October 9National Fire Prevention Day is October 9, the anniversary of the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, which killed more than 250 people, left 100,000 homeless, and destroyed more than 17,000 structures. The people of Chicago celebrated their restoration of the city by holding festivities on the anniversary of the fire, but it was the Fire Marshals' Association of North America that decided in 1911 to observe the day in a way that would raise the public's consciousness about fire prevention. President Woodrow Wilson issued the first National Fire Prevention Day proclamation in 1920, and every year since 1925 the week in which October 9 falls has been observed nationwide as National Fire Prevention Week.
Each year the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) announces a theme for National Fire Prevention Week and sets up programs to educate the public about a particular aspect of fire prevention. In 1994, for example, the theme was the importance of keeping smoke detectors in good working order, and the theme for 1995 was avoiding the major causes of home fires—lighted cigarettes, unattended cooking equipment, and auxiliary heat sources. Planning and practicing fire drill escape plans was the theme for 1998, 1999, and 2000. The NFPA provides a Community Awareness Kit each year to help communities plan their own fire prevention activities.
CONTACTS:
National Fire Protection Association
1 Batterymarch Pk.
Quincy, MA 02169
800-344-3555 or 617-770-3000; fax: 617-770-0700
www.nfpa.org