Well, according to legend... It all goes back to 1871 and Mrs. O'Leary was in her milk barn, milking her milk cow. The cow kicked over a lamp, which started the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. The fire burned for over 27 hours killing over 300 people, and leaving over 100,000 homeless. Over 17,000 structures were destroyed!!
Over the next forty years, efforts ignited to improve fire prevention leading to the first Fire Prevention Day proclaimed by the Fire Marshall's Association of North America. In 1920, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed the first Fire Prevention Week!!
During this Fire Prevention Week, many of our Fire Agencies throughout the region will be holding events to recognize the importance of fire safety and some tidbits on prevention. Even if you are unable to attend one of these events in your neighborhood, there are a couple easy things you can do at home that will only take a few moments.
We want to encourage everyone to test your smoke alarm. In fact we encourage they be tested monthly. Working Smoke Alarms Save Lives!! The National Fire Protection Association has created a great Fire Prevention Quiz for you and your family.
We also encourage everyone to Remember "EDITH", which stands for "Exit Drills In The Home." Sometime this week would be a good time to have a practice fire drill with your family!! The three leading causes of residential fires in Vancouver and Clark County are;
- Candles
- Cooking
- Smoking
Take a look at this video from Vancouver Fire Marshal's office about how you can make your home safer from residential fires, and as Smokey would say... "Only You Can Prevent Fires!"
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