The history of National Fire Prevention Week has it roots in the
Great Chicago Fire, which occurred on October 8, 1871. This tragic
conflagration killed some 300 people, left 100,000 homeless and destroyed
more than 17,000 structures. The origin of the fire has generated
speculation since its occurrence, with the fact and fiction becoming
blurred over the years. One popular legend has it that Mrs O'Leary was
milking her cow when the animal kicked over a lamp, setting the O'Leary
barn on fire and starting the spectacular blaze. How ever the massive fire
began, it swiftly took its toll, burning more than 2000 acres in 27 hours.
The city of Chicago quickly rebuilt, however, and within a couple of years
residents began celebrating their successful restoration to memorialize
the anniversary of the fire with festivities.
Intending to observe the fire's anniversary with a more serious
commemoration, the Fire Marshals Association of North America (FMANA), the
oldest membership section of the National Fire Protection Association
(NFPA), decided that the 40th anniversary of the Great Chicago Fire should
be observed not with festivities, but in a way that would keep the public
informed about the importance of fire prevention.
When President Calvin Coolidge proclaimed the first National Fire
Prevention Week, October 4 - 10 1925, he noted that in the previous year
some 15,000 lives were lost to fire in the United States. Calling the loss
"startling", President Coolidge's proclamation stated, "This waste
results from the conditions which justify a sense of shame and horror;
for the greater part of it could and ought to be prevented... It is highly
desirable that every effort be made to reform the conditions which have
made possible so vast a destruction of the national wealth".
NFPA continues today to make National Fire Prevention Week a priority and
counts on the participation and efforts of tens of thousands of fire and
safety professionals, emergency volunteers, and other individuals working
to reduce the risk of fire and the toll it takes on our society.
|
