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Commissioner Chad Brown - Fire Marshal - Proclamation - To Proclaim the Week of October 7-13, 2018 as Fire Prevention Week and Adopt the Theme: Look. Listen. Learn. Be aware. Fire can happen anywhere.
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STAFF CONTACT
Eric Hendrix - Fire Marshal - 704 866-3231
BACKGROUND
National Fire Prevention Week is observed across the United States each year during the first full week (Sunday thru Saturday) that contains the date of October 9th. It commemorates the Great Chicago Fire, a horrific conflagration that burned from Sunday, October 8, to early Tuesday, October 10, 1871. The fire killed more than 250 people, destroyed more than 17,400 structures, and burned more than 2000 acres of land in Chicago. In the United States, the first Presidential proclamation of Fire Prevention Week was made in 1925 by President Calvin Coolidge. The non-profit NFPA (National Fire Protection Association), which has officially sponsored Fire Prevention Week since its inception, selects the annual theme for Fire Prevention Week. On the 40th anniversary (1911) of the Great Chicago Fire, the Fire Marshals Association of North America; the oldest membership section of the 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. This year's FPW campaign, "Look. Listen. Learn. Be aware. Fire can happen anywhere," works to educate people about three basic but essential steps to take to reduce the likelihood of having a fire--and how to escape safely in the event of one:
"LOOK" for places fire could start. Take a good look around your home. Identify potential fire hazards and take care of them.
"LISTEN" for the sound of the smoke alarm. You could have only minutes to escape safely once the smoke alarm sounds. Go to your outside meeting place, which should be a safe distance from the home and where everyone should know to meet.
"LEARN" two ways out of every room and m...
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