It's Fire Prevention Week! Protect Your Family From Fire! – Oct 9-15, 2011

The National Fire Protection Association has recognized Oct. 9 through Oct. 15 as Fire Prevention Week for 86 years now. Fire Prevention Week was started by President Calvin Coolidge in 1925 and always is the week in which Oct. 9 falls. Fire Prevention Week coincides with the anniversary of the Great Chicago Fire, Oct. 8-10, 1871.

According to the National Archives and Records Administration’s Library Information Center, Fire Prevention Week is the longest running public health and safety observance on record.

During this week, emphasizes will be placed on how to “Protect Your Family from Fire.” To do this you have to just do some basic but very important steps. Practicing these fire safety measures throughout the year is essential to a good solid fire prevention plan that will help protect those you love.

This year, our National Fire Prevention Week campaign is all about keeping you, your family, and your community safer from fire. You'll find educational material and tip sheets on the leading causes of home fires, information about protecting your home and families with life-saving technologies, and the importance of home escape planning by go to ...

The NFPA’s

FIRE PREVENTION WEEK web page…

Tioga Fire Protection and Fire Prevention reminds all to change their smoke detector batteries when they change their clocks, practice an in-home fire escape plan, and be fire safety smart.

Fires can strike anywhere – in structures, buildings, automobiles, and the outdoors – but fires that affect our homes are often the most tragic and the most preventable.

Over 75% percent of all fire fatalities occur in home fires.

This year' s National Fire Prevention Week theme is "Protect Your Family from Fire." You can protect your family by:

1. Installing smoke alarms on every level of your home,
2. Testing smoke alarms once a month,
3. Changing smoke alarm batteries at least once a year, and
4. Making and practicing a home fire escape plan.

For more specific details on how these four fire safety items can be practiced in your fire prevention practices at home go to the U.S. Fire Administration’s Focus on Fire Safety web page…

Many fire departments across the county will host open house events highlighting equipment, apparatus and the different emergency services provided to the community. For more information and to find out what is happening in your area thi s week, call the local fire department for times & dates.

(The usual disclaimers: I am not a journalist; Th is is a blog that expresses an outlook and is not conclusive in any shape or manner.)