Fire Prevention Week October 9-15, 2005

October 9th through the 15th is National Fire Prevention Week.

National Fire Prevention Week has its roots in the Great Chicago Fire of October 9, 1871. This quick-spreading fire killed 300 people, left 100,000 homeless, and destroyed more than 17,000 buildings. How did it start? One popular legend tells the story of Mrs. Catherine O'Leary milking her cow when the animal kicked over a lamp, setting the O'Leary's barn on fire. The blaze burned more than 2000 acres in twenty-seven hours. The City of Chicago rebuilt quickly, and within a couple of years residents began celebrating their successful restoration by memorializing the anniversary of the fire.

With winter coming on, this is a great time to spend some time thinking about fire safety. Between power outages which can lead to candle use and kerosene heater use and Christmas trees which can be very flammable, it is a good time to review fire safety rules and to map out your fire escape plan for your house.

This is a family affair. Make sure the kids know exactly what to do and make them part of the planning. Have fire drills to test out your plan and see how it works. Be creative, have the fire alarms go off and have 'pretend fires' that your family members have to avoid. Write the word hot on closed doors or tape up some paper flames. Make this a fun time with the ultimate goal of protecting you and your family. Below are several links to help you out!


Virginia Department of Fire Safety

Sparky the Fire Dog

DLTK Fire Prevention Activities

Fire Safety: Surfing the Net with Kids

National Safety Council (Ireland) While this site is out of Ireland, it has some good information on it.

Education World: Fire Safety Activities

Fire Safety Websites : This is part of a huge website. Scroll down the page a little and there are tons of links you can explore with your children.