Fire Prevention Week Begins Sunday

Oct. 4, 2006
National Fire Prevention Week theme is "Prevent Cooking Fires: Watch What You Heat".

In 1920, President Woodrow Wilson issued the first National Fire Prevention Day proclamation, and since 1922, Fire Prevention Week has been observed on the Sunday through Saturday period in which October 9 falls. According to the National Archives and Records Administration's Library Information Center, Fire Prevention Week is the longest running public health and safety observance on record. The President of the United States has signed a proclamation proclaiming a national observance during that week every year since 1925.

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) spearheads National Fire Prevention Week. This year, National Fire Prevention Week is Oct. 8 through Oct. 14. The theme is "Prevent Cooking Fires: Watch What You Heat", highlighted in the Special Fire Prevention Week Section.

Approximately 83 percent of all fatal fires occur within the home, and the number one leading cause of home fires is lack of kitchen safety. Last year 3,790 people nationwide lost their lives in fires. The NFPA site provides online resources for use by firefighters, teachers and parents during this coming week. Departments across the country are preparing for the annual event.

The Des Moines Fire Department will be delivering fire prevention with every pizza ordered at participating Papa John's in Des Moines.

Safe Kids Greater Des Moines, State Farm and Papa John's are teaming up to remind families about the importance of working smoke detectors.

If firefighters deliver a pizza and the home has a working smoke detector, they will hand out a FREE pizza voucher for use on the next order.

If there is no working smoke detector, a FREE smoke alarm will be give by State Farm Insurance.

Des Moines notes that defective smoke detectors are found in 60% of homes where a fatality fire has occurred

Las Vegas Fire & Rescue participates in National Fire Prevention Week so much that it says it takes the entire month to cover all the requests for tours of fire stations, talks given by firefighters to schools and civic groups and visits using the department's mobile classroom, the Fire Safety House.

Cooking fires are one of the leading causes of fires in Las Vegas and are the leading cause of fire-related injuries in the country. Almost everyday, firefighters respond to a cooking fire somewhere in the city. Although most are minor, such as burnt food on the stove, some have caused extensive damage and fatalities.

Las Vegas Fire & Rescue will be participating in a number of events during National Fire Prevention Week to make the public aware of the importance of fire safety. On Saturday Oct. 7, Open House will be held at all city of Las Vegas fire stations from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

At various times during the week, firefighters from all 15 LVFR fire stations will go door-to-door in the community passing out a free 13-page fire safety booklet that was made especially for Las Vegas

In Kearney, Nebraska, to kick-off Fire Prevention Week which is October 8-14, 2006, the Kearney Volunteer Fire Department Fire Prevention Unit will be at the parking area south of Fire Station No. 1 on Friday, October 6. The Unit will be open to the public from 5:00-7:00 p.m.

The KVFD Fire Prevention Unit is a mobile teaching tool used to make fire prevention and severe weather education more realistic to children and adults. The Fire Prevention Unit is a fire safety house built as an actual "structure" where children and adults learn about fire prevention, fire safety, and severe weather in a realistic setting.

Home Safety Council Does Survey on Fire and Life Safety Public Education

A national survey is underway to better understand the range of fire and life safety education activities conducted by U.S. fire departments. The nonprofit Home Safety Council is conducting a first-of-its-kind survey with the help of researchers from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. The survey, Fire and Life Safety Public Education in U.S. Fire Departments, will be used to identify resource and training needs of fire and life safety educators.

Preliminary survey results will be shared at a national conference hosted by the Home Safety Council. The All-Ways Fire Safe at Home Conference: Best Practices in Fire and Life Safety Education will be held in Washington, DC in January 2007. This conference will bring together fire and life safety educators from around the country to share best practices in home fire and burn safety education. Open registration will be available until December 1, 2006. Visit the Home Safety Council Web site to learn more.

Among the Conference highlights will be a presentation on the survey findings and a planning forum to discuss implications and next steps. "We are eager to capture the viewpoints of fire chiefs from departments large and small and supplement the findings with reactions from educators participating in the Conference," says Chief Dennis Compton, Vice Chair of the Home Safety Council Board of Directors, who will lead the planning forum.

Survey participants were selected randomly from a sample of more than 30,000 fire departments throughout the United States using the National Directory of Fire Chiefs and EMS Administrators. Surveyors are interested in obtaining a sample that represents fire departments by geographic region, population served, and department type. If your fire department receives a survey, please fill it out as quickly and accurately as possible and return it promptly. Survey respondents who complete the survey by its stated deadline will be eligible to win one of ten scholarships to send a fire and life safety educator to the January 2007 conference. Your help is greatly appreciated.

The survey is just one of several projects conducted by the Home Safety Council to strengthen home fire and life safety education for the public. About the Home Safety Council The Home Safety Council (HSC) is the only national nonprofit organization solely dedicated to preventing home related injuries that result in nearly 20,000 deaths and 21 million medical visits on average each year. Through national programs, partnerships and the support of volunteers, HSC educates people of all ages to be safer in and around their homes. The Home Safety Council is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization located in Washington, DC.

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