Fire Prevention Week

Nationally observed week

Fire Prevention Week

Official name| Fire Prevention Week
Observed by| United States
Date| October
Frequency| Annual
First time| 1925; 100 years ago (1925)

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

In the United States, the first Presidential Proclamation of 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.

In Canada, the week is proclaimed annually by the Governor General. The Saturday at the end of the week is also proclaimed as "Fire Service Recognition Day" to express appreciation for the many public services of the Canadian fire service. In Australia, Fire Prevention Week is usually held between April 28 to May 5.[1]

## History

[edit]

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.[2] 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".[3][4]

The Governor-General issued the first National Fire Prevention Day proclamation in Canada in 1919. The earliest known provincial proclamation of Fire Prevention Day was by the Lieutenant-Governor-in-Council of Ontario in 1916. Fire Prevention Week was first proclaimed by the Governor-General in 1923. Fire Service Recognition Day was first incorporated into the Governor-General's proclamation of Fire Prevention Week in 1977.

On October 12, 1957, the NBC children's western television series, Fury, starring Peter Graves and Bobby Diamond, aired the episode "Fire Prevention Week" to acquaint youngsters with the dangers of forest fires.[5]

Dates and other information for National Fire Prevention Week are listed on the National Fire Protection Association website each year, including the annual theme.

Fire Prevention Week Themes Through the Years  Year  | Theme

|

1925  | Build Fire-Safe
1927  | Why This Mad Sacrifice to Fire?
1928  | FIRE...Do Your Part – Stop This Waste!
1929  | FIRE - The Nation's Greatest Menace! Do Your Part to Stop this Waste!
1930  | Fight Fire Waste with Fire Prevention. Do Your Part
1931  | Do Your Part to Prevent Fire
1932  | Your Life. Your Property
1933  | Your Life. Your Property
1934  | Now War on Fire
1935  | What Would Fire Mean to You?
1936  | Stop It
1937  | Help Prevention Fires
1938  | Is This Your Tomorrow?
1939  | Was Somebody Careless?
1940  | Keep Fire In Its Place
1941  | Defend Against Fire
1942  | Today Every Fire Helps Hitler
1943  | Fire Fight for Axis! (to emphasize home fire prevention)
| Feed Firefighters Not Fires (farm and rural campaign)
| The War's Over for this Plant (industrial use)
| Was Somebody Careless (general purpose)
1944  | To Speed Victory - Prevent Fires (general purpose)
| Feed Firefighters Not Fires (farm and rural campaign)
| To Speed Victory, Defeat Fire (town plaster)
1945  | We Burned the Enemy - Now Save Yourself from Fire
1946  | FIRE is the Silent Partner of Inflation
1947  | YOU caused 1,700,000 Fires last Year!
1948  | Help Yourself to Fire Prevention!
1949  | Flameproof Your Future!
1950  | Don't Let Fire Lick You
1951  | Defend America From Fire
1952  | Be Free from Fear of Fire
1953  | Fire Feeds on Careless Deeds
1954  | Let's Grow Up - Not Burn Up
1955  | Don't Give Fire a Place to Start
1956  | Don't Give Fire a Place to Start
1957  | Make Sure of Their Tomorrows - Don't Give Fire a Place to Start
1958  | Don't Give Fire a Place to Start
1959  | Fire Prevention is Your Job...Too
1960  | Don't Give Fire a Place to Start
1961  | Don't Give Fire a Place to Start
1962  | Fire Prevention is Your Job...Too
1963  | Don't Give Fire a Place to Start
1964  | Fire Prevention is Your Job...Too
1965  | Don't Give Fire a Place to Start
1966  | Fight Fire
1967  | Fire Hurts
1968  | Fire Hurts
1969  | Fire Hurts
1970  | Fire Hurts
1971  | Fire Hurts
1972  | Fire Hurts
1973  | Help Stop Fire
1974  | Things That Burn
1975  | Learn Not to Burn
1976  | Learn Not to Burn
1977  | Where There's Smoke, There Should Be a Smoke Alarm
1978  | You Are Not Alone!
1979  | Partners in Fire Prevention
1980  | Partners in Fire Prevention
1981  | EDITH (Exit Drills In The Home)
1982  | Learn Not To Burn - Wherever You Are
1983  | Learn Not To Burn All Through the Year
1984  | Join the Fire Prevention Team
1985  | Fire Drills Save Lives at Home at School at Work
1986  | Learn Not to Burn It Really Works!
1987  | Play it Safe...Plan Your Escape
1988  | A Sound You Can Live With—Test Your Smoke Detector!
1989  | Big Fires Start Small: Keep matches and lighters in the right hands
1990  | Make Your Place Firesafe: Hunt for Home Hazards
1991  | Fire Won't Wait - Plan Your Escape!
1992  | Test Your Detector - It's Sound Advice!
1993  | Get Out, Stay Out: Your Fire Safe Response
1994  | Test Your Detectors for Life
1995  | Watch What You Heat: Prevent Home Fires!
1996  | Let's Hear It For Safety: Test Your Detectors!
1997  | Know When to Go: React Fast to Fire
1998  | Fire Drills: The Great Escape
1999  | Fire Drills: The Great Escape
2000  | Fire Drills: The Great Escape
2001  | Cover the Bases and Strike Out Fire
2002  | Team Up for Fire Safety
2003  | When Fire Strikes: Get Out, Stay Out!
2004  | It's Fire Prevention Week! Test Your Smoke Alarms
2005  | Use Candles with Care
2006  | Prevent Cooking Fires. Watch What You Heat
2007  | Practice Your Escape Plan
2008  | Prevent Home Fires
2009  | Stay Fire Safe. Don't Get Burned
2010  | Smoke Alarms: A Sound You Can Live With
2011  | Protect Your Family From Fire
2012  | Have 2 Ways Out
2013  | Prevent Kitchen Fires
2014  | Working Smoke Alarms Save Lives. Test Yours Every Month
2015  | Hear the Beep Where You Sleep. Every Bedroom Needs a Working Smoke Alarm
2016  | Don't Wait. Check the Date. Replace Smoke Alarms Every 10 Years
2017  | Every Second Counts. Plan Two Ways Out
2018  | Look. Listen. Learn. Fire Can Happen Anywhere
2019  | Not Every Hero Wears a Cape: Plan and Practice Your Escape
2020  | Serve Up Fire Safety in the Kitchen
2021  | Learn the Sounds of Fire Safety
2022  | Fire Won't Wait, Plan Your Escape
2023  | Cooking Safety Starts with YOU. Pay Attention to Fire Prevention.
2024  | Smoke alarms: Make them WORK for you!

## Noted fires

[edit]

* 1871 Great Chicago Fire
* Peshtigo Fire

## References

[edit]

An internal document prepared by the staff of HRSDC - Fire Prevention Branch (formerly Office of the Fire Commissioner of Canada) for staff training and briefing, based on a review of the following sources:

* NFPA Journal - various editions;
* NFPA Community Awareness kit;
* Minutes of the Association of Canadian Fire Marshals & Fire Commissioners (ACFM/FC), June 18–21, 1952
* Minutes of the Annual Meeting of the Dominion Fire Prevention Association (DFPA), May 19, 1919
* Minutes of the 68th Annual Meeting of the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs (CAFC), August 22–26, 1976
* Archival copies of the Fire Prevention Day/Week Proclamations - Registrar General of Canada

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ Beveridge, Katina. "Australia's Fire Prevention Week". Control Fire Protection. Control Fire Protection. Retrieved 10 October 2016.
2. ^ Proclamation 1573: Designating October 9, 1920, as Fire Prevention Day . 1920-11-07 - via Wikisource. (41 Stat. 1802)
3. ^ "Fire Prevention History". FireSafety.buffnet.net. Archived from the original on 1998-01-09. Retrieved 2007-05-11.
4. ^ Proclamation 1746: Designating the week beginning Sunday, October 4, 1925, as National Fire Prevention Week . 1925-11-11 - via Wikisource. (44 Stat. 2583)
5. ^ ""Fire Prevention Week", Fury, October 12, 1957". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved February 5, 2013.

## External links

[edit]

* Fire Prevention Week