When a fire breaks out in your home, you may only have seconds to be able to escape safely without risking your life. To make sure that you and your family know exactly what to do in case of this emergency, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) runs an important fire safety campaign, Fire Prevention Week, every October with the purpose of promoting the best practices that homeowners should take. For over 20 years, Ace Chimney Sweeps has promoted this week devoted to fire prevention as part of our comprehensive professional chimney maintenance, repair, and installation services. We would like to tell you more about this special week as well as this year’s campaign theme, “Look. Listen. Learn. Be aware. Fire can happen anywhere.”
What is the history behind Fire Prevention Week?
One of the worst fires in the United States’ history, the Great Chicago Fire began on October 8, 1871 and was responsible for more than 250 deaths as well as for the destruction of more than 17,400 buildings and more than 2,000 acres of burned land. To commemorate this horrific fire, the NFPA began sponsoring the public observance of Fire Prevention Week in 1922 during the week of October 9th. Three years later, President Calvin Coolidge proclaimed this fire safety campaign as a national observance, which makes it the longest-running public health safety campaign in the USA.
What is the purpose of Fire Prevention Week today?
Education about fire safety is not just for elementary school students as everyone is at risk for injury or death in a fire. People between the ages of 20 and 49 actually have the highest risk to suffer from a non-fatal fire injury, which is a clear sign that fire safety education is needed by everyone. With Fire Prevention Week, the NFPA has the purpose of bringing awareness to the risk of death in a fire and of providing educational materials and resources to the public.
What is the theme of the 2018 campaign of Fire Prevention Week?
To help families understand the dangers of a house fire, this year’s theme for Fire Prevention Week is “Look. Listen. Learn. Be aware. Fire can happen anywhere.” This campaign theme serves to teach the public to look for potential fire hazards at home, to listen for the sound of the smoke alarm, and to learn two ways of escaping every room in their homes.
Want to learn more about Fire Prevention Week? Contact Contact us us at Ace Chimney Sweeps for more information about this important fire safety campaign. If you live in the Elkton, MD area, we are here for all of your professional chimney and fireplace needs.