Fire Prevention Week

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Fire Prevention Week:

National Fire Protection Association® (NFPA®) Fire Prevention Week 2023 Theme: Cooking safety starts with you

The Brantford Fire Department is teaming up with the National Fire Protection Association® (NFPA®)—the official sponsor of Fire Prevention Week for more than 100 years—to promote this year’s Fire Prevention Week campaign, Smoke alarms: Make them work for you!^TM from October 6-12, 2024. The campaign aims to educate everyone about the importance of having working smoke alarms in the home.

The Brantford Fire Department encourages all residents to embrace the 2024 Fire Prevention Week theme and offers these key safety tips and guidelines:

Install smoke alarms in every bedroom, outside each separate sleeping area (like a hallway), and on each level (including the basement) of the home.
Make sure smoke alarms meet the needs of all family members, including those with sensory or physical disabilities.
Test smoke alarms at least once a month by pushing the test button.
Replace all smoke alarms when they are 10 years old.

Follow Brantford Fire on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter for up to date information on Fire Prevention Week programs and activities in Brantford or visit www.fpw.org to start planning your home escape.

Fire Prevention Week's history

The history of Fire Prevention Week has its roots in the Great Chicago Fire, which occurred on October 9, 1871, and killed more than 250 people, left 100,000 homeless, destroyed more than 17,400 structures and burned more than 2,000 acres in 27 hours.

While the origin of the fire has never been determined, there has been much speculation over how it began. One popular legend, which was recently refuted by a Chicago historian, is that Mrs. Catherine 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.

On the Great Chicago Fire's 40th anniversary, the Fire Marshals Association of North America (FMANA) sponsored the first National Fire Prevention Day, advocating an annual observation as a way to keep the public informed about the importance of fire prevention.