National Fire Prevention Week October 4-10, 2009

National Fire Prevention Week is observed in the United States and Canada, beginning on the first Sunday in October and ending the following Saturday, which is also designated Fire Service Recognition Day. In the United States, the observance was begun with a proclamation signed in 1925 by President Calvin Coolidge. The Fire Prevention Week commemorates the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. When President Calvin Coolidge proclaimed the first National Fire Prevention Week on October 4 - October 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", 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" (Wikipedia, 2009).

Over the last several years the Charlotte Fire Department and most cities around the country continue to respond to residential fires involving ‘food left cooking on the stove unattended’. Cooking fires are the #1 cause of home fires and home fire injuries in the City of Charlotte. Nearly all cooking equipment fires start with the ignition of food, other cooking materials (e.g., grease, cooking oil), or other items normally found or installed in a kitchen (e.g., cabinets, wall coverings, paper or plastic bags, curtains) (NFPA, 2009). In the city of Charlotte, there were 943 fires related to cooking. These fires also accounted for (5) fatalities, (42) injuries, and resulted in over 8.5 million dollars in monetary loss.

The Charlotte Fire Department has engaged in a fire prevention initiative to educate and inform the community at large of the dangers and devastating effects of cooking fires. Firefighters along with Fire & Life Safety Educators will be installing and checking smoke alarms, speaking with members of the community, and distributing fire prevention literature from September 21st thru October 10th in an effort to prevent fires in the kitchen.

The Charlotte Fire Department will be involved in a variety of fire safety awareness programs for the family. For more information on local Fire Prevention Week activities go to: http://www.charmeck.org/Departments/Fire/Fire+and+Life+Safety/Fire+Prevention+Week+2009.htm

Submitted by: Mark Basnight

Charlotte Fire Department

Office of Public Affairs