“Smoke alarms: Make them work for you!”

October 6-12, 2024, was the 102^nd anniversary of Fire Prevention Week. This year's message put emphasis on smoke alarm basics including choosing, installing, testing, and replacing smoke alarms in the home.

While smoke detectors are the most common and essential component of a fire alarm system, there are several other factors that deserve equal attention and are vital for protecting lives and property in the event of a fire. The NFPA offers safety tip sheets and downloadable activities for all ages that cover a variety of smoke alarm topics. All of these resources are free to download, print, and share with your friends and family.

At Sparky.org, kids can find age appropriate videos, games, activities, and apps to help them explore and learn about fire safety including how to prevent and respond to home fires - all in a fun, interactive environment.

Fire Prevention Week commemorates what is known as the Great Chicago Fire that burned from Sunday, October 8, to early Tuesday, October 10, 1871. This notorious blaze was one of the largest U.S. disasters of the 19th century, killing 250 people, leaving another 100000 people homeless, destroying 17400 structures, and burning more than 2000 acres.

According to popular legend, about 9:00pm on Sunday, October 8, the fire began in a barn owned by Irish immigrants, Patrick and Catherine O′Leary. The couple had already retired for the night until their neighbors began calling out about the fire in the barn. A rumor, which was put into print by Michael Ahern, the Chicago Republican journalist, has it that Mrs. O′Leary′s cow kicked over a kerosene lantern that had been placed in the barn. However, some 22 years later, Mr. Ahern admitted that he had fabricated the “cow-and-lantern” story that had put the blame on Catherine O′Leary. Sure, there was a barn and a cow, but the official report could not determine the exact cause of the Great Chicago Fire on that fateful day. Despite rumors to the contrary, this legend took and is still widely circulated to this day.

This tragedy changed the way firefighters and the public thought about the importance of fire safety and fire prevention. On October 9, 1911, the 40th anniversary of the Great Chicago Fire, the Fire Marshals Association of North America (known today as the International Fire Marshals Association), sponsored the nation′s first Fire Prevention Day with the intent to raise awareness and to educate the public on fire safety. Nine years later, the day became an official national designation when President Woodrow Wilson issued the National Fire Prevention Day proclamation in 1920. To further commemorate this notorious event, President Calvin Coolidge proclaimed the first National Fire Prevention Week October 4-10, 1925 as a national observance to be honored every year on the Sunday through Saturday period in which October 9 falls.