National Fire Prevention Day
October 9, 2010
It’s Fire Prevention Week, and Saturday is Fire Prevention Day!
According to legend, on October 8, 1871, Mrs. O’Leary was in her barn, milking her cow. The cow kicked over a lamp which started the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. The fire burned for over 27 hours. When it was over, more than 300 people were killed, 100,000 people were left homeless, and over 17,00 structures were destroyed.
The Great Chicago fire sparked major efforts in fire prevention. Forty years later, the Fire Marshall’s Association of North America (FMANA) held the first Fire Prevention Day. In 1920 , President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed Fire Prevention Week.
© 2010 KarasMoms Photography. Used with permission.
Did You Know? Dalmatians became fire dogs because they were often kept around the horses at fire houses to guard them.
Here are some simple safety tips from Safety at Home:
- Remember “EDITH”, which stand for “Exit Drills In The Home”
- Develop and practice a home fire escape plan.
- Install smoke alarms
- Change the batteries in your smoke alarms!
- Make extinguishers handy
- Talk prevention to your kids
- Avoid overloading sockets and cords
