October 8, 1871

Fire Prevention Week is celebrated every October. Originally proclaimed as Fire Prevention Day in 1920 by President Woodrow Wilson, it commemorated the anniversary of the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. In 1925, President Calvin Coolidge expanded the event to a whole week. 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 conditions which justify a sense of shame and horror; for the greater part of it could and ought to be prevented.”

Fire Prevention Week
The official Fire Prevention Week site from the National Fire Prevention Association (NFPA) has tips and educational material for kids, parents and educators. Families will find fun games, coloring pages and important safety information in the Kids & Parents link in the top right-hand corner. Teachers will find classroom materials on the link of the same name in the blue left-hand menu . Highlights of both sections include educational PDFs that can be printed and freely distributed.

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