What is Fire Prevention Week?
Fire Prevention Week is a week long campaign in October with the purpose of raising fire safety awareness. Raising awareness and bringing attention to fire safety practices and regulations is important to help families, homes and businesses stay alert to possible fire risks and dangers, ways to negate them as much as possible, as well as create emergency plans to be prepared in worst case scenarios.
Fire Prevention Week takes place during the week of October 9th, from Sunday through Saturday, to commemorate the anniversary of the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. The Great Chicago Fire was a massive fire that destroyed nearly 9 square kilometers of the city, burned down over 17 000 buildings and killed approximately 300 people between October 8th and 10th, 1871.
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By: Currier and Ives – Chicago Historical Society (ICHi-23436), Public Domain, Link
What Happens During Fire Prevention Week?
Fire Prevention Week is a great time to ensure you and your family is prepared and living as fire safe as possible. Ensuring your home has, and practiced, an emergency escape plan in case of fire or other such emergencies, checking your smoke and CO detectors, creating or refreshing your 72 hr emergency kits, etc. It’s better to have all of these ready and not need them, than not have them when you need it most.
Throughout the week, members of the Bancroft Fire Department visit the local schools in our jurisdiction to help teach students about fire safety. We do our very best (emergency calls pending) to visit with every class at every school, talk about important safety tips that students and their parents can practice, such as how to get out safely if there is a fire, and bring some fun activities and goodie-bags.
