Everyone takes things for granted. But fire safety shouldn’t be one of those things. It is a matter of life and death. In the United States, about 1.3 million fires occur; 3,500 deaths from fires happen; 14,000 fire injuries occur; and $23 billion of financial damage due to fires.
These statistics are why the United States and Canada recognize Fire Prevention Week. But how did the week begin? What is its’ history?
Fire Prevention Week, consistently recognized during the week in which Oct. 9 falls, commemorates the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. This fire destroyed Chicago from Sunday, Oct. 8 to Tuesday, Oct. 10, killing over 250 people. The fire burned down 17,400 buildings and incinerated more than 2,000 acres.
Rumors about how the Great Chicago Fire started have been going around since the day the fire started. Mrs. O’Leary’s cow kicking over a lamp in her barn is considered the absolute fact, but that’s not what happened.
After the fire, Chicago Tribune reporter Michael Ahern wrote a story accusing Mrs. O’Leary’s cow. Mrs. O’Leary denied it. She said she went to bed early after she had put her cows in her barn.
In 1893, Ahern did admit he had made up the story. A recent investigation by historian Robert Cromie found no evidence that a cow caused the fire. However, he did find the fire started near Mrs. O’Leary’s barn.
How Did Fire Prevention Week get its’ beginning? In 1911, 40 years after the Great Chicago Fire, the Fire Marshals Association of North America organized a week to commemorate the Chicago Fire and start public awareness campaigns. 1920 President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed a National Fire Prevention Day, followed by the first Fire Prevention Week in 1922. It has been the official week of national observance in the United States since 1925.
What happens during Fire Prevention Week? The week’s purpose is to raise awareness of fire prevention and safety. The week is essential for reminding people to be prepared for fire emergencies. What to do when there is a house fire; teaching skills to children like stop, drop, and roll; encouraging people to check and update their fire emergency plans; and hosting open days at fire stations to promote community interaction with firefighters.
The most important thing to remember is that fire safety and prevention should not be on everyone’s mind during one week but throughout the year.
Sources: https://firefightergarage.com/, www.britannica.com/event/Chicago-fire-of-1871