10.05.12
National Fire Prevention Week 2012 is October 7-13
KIDS – Don’t Miss the Sparky the Fire Dog Videos for Kids at the bottom.
The National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA) has been the official sponsor of National Fire Prevention Week since its inception in 1922, and this year it’s held on October 7th -13th. The 2012 theme is “Have 2 Ways Out!” and it fits in with the primary goal of this annual focus on fire prevention, which is to educate families on how to prevent home fires and what to do in the event of a fire.
National Fire Prevention Week falls annually in the period from Saturday through Sunday of the week containing October 9th. In 1920, President Woodrow Wilson named October 9th National Fire Prevention Day as a way of remembering and avoiding a repeat of the devastation caused by fires from October 8th thru 10th of 1871.
The Great Chicago fire was among several areas that burned throughout the Midwest on those fateful days in 1871. The story goes that Mrs. O’Leary’s cow was the cause of the Chicago fire. It’s told that she was milking her cow in the family barn when the cow kicked over her kerosene lantern. The O’Leary barn went up in flames, and the fire spread rapidly, consuming everything in its path.
The fable ends there. The truth is that no one knows what caused the huge fire which moved into the financial district of downtown Chicago, Illinois. Hundreds of people were killed, and approximately 4 square miles of downtown Chicago were destroyed. Together with the other fires of unknown origin which mysteriously occurred at the same time, thousands of people were killed and millions of acres of land were destroyed.
Sparky the Fire Dog, who became part of National Fire Prevention Week in the early 1950s, helps young and old people alike to understand the important steps in fire safety. Sparky has an important role because, on average, seven people die in home fires every day.
The Leading Causes of Home Fires
Educating the public about fire prevention helps to save lives. The more we know about fires, the better chance we have of preventing them and escaping them. The leading causes of home fires include:
• Failure to clean solid fueled heating equipment, such as wood stoves and fireplaces. A buildup of creosote in the chimney is what most often causes a home to catch fire. Getting an annual cleaning and inspection by a professional chimney sweep is the best way to prevent chimney fires.
• Heating equipment is the second leading cause of reported home fires and fatalities. The most common scenario is that heating equipment is positioned too close to flammable objects such as upholstered furniture, mattresses, clothing, and bedding. This issue is the cause of about half of the deaths attributed to home heating fires in the U.S.A. every year.
Visit the NFP website, which is rich with resources related to fire safety. You’ll find important reminders, such as discussing with the family that every room should “Have 2 ways out!” Be sure to take the quiz which measures your level of knowledge about best practices for home fire safety.
Please Visit the Official Site for Tons of Great Information about Fire Prevention
Enjoy the Short Videos – the 15 and 30 second clips are great fun for kids featuring Sparky the Fire Dog. Visit the Sparky Website is Super Cool with Games and tons of stuff to explore. Visit Sparky’s Game Website.
These videos have some great advice.
Be Rabbit Ready
[youtube XAsjE2dh-4A?rel=0 640 360]
Have an Escape Plan
[youtube rtFM2XEasig?rel=0 640 360]
Get Low and Go
[youtube sGgNeYLRgtw?rel=0 640 360]
Use Smoke Alarms
[youtube 3CEKLRUkY6Q?rel=0 640 360]
Northeastern Chimney, Inc.
formerly Nayaug Chimney Services, LLC
37 Cody Street, West Hartford, CT 06110
Phone: 860-233-5770