Citizens for Fire Safety Taking Preparedness Message to Schools
Citizens for Fire Safety, in conjunction with National Fire Prevention Week (Oct. 6-10), is taking fire safety and disaster preparedness to schools across the country. This year's straightforward theme is "It's Fire Prevention Week! Prevent Home Fires," and CFFS is trying to make sure students of all ages know the importance of fire safety and what they can do to make sure their homes are protected. The organization also is running a series of nationally airing public service announcements with tips on how to avoid home fires to make sure that both kids and their parents are talking about fire safety.
Throughout the week, Citizens for Fire Safety is teaming up with fire stations in California, Minnesota, New Jersey, and other states to visit local schools to engage and excite students about fire safety. "Fire Prevention Week is a great way to bring such an important issue to the forefront, and visiting our local schools will make learning about fire safety a fun experience for the students, and hopefully, it will get kids talking to their parents about fire safety," said Captain Christopher Tozzi of the Mercerville New Jersey Fire Company.
As part of the initiative, firefighters this week are giving students a full demonstration of the fire truck and imparting practical fire safety tips they can use to make sure they have fire-safe homes. The experience will be capped off with a fire-safety poster contest. Each of the students is invited to take part in the competition in which they design a poster about preventing home fires and are eligible to win a $500 scholarship from the Citizens for Fire Safety Institute.
Fire Prevention Week was established to commemorate the Great Chicago Fire, which in 1871 killed more than 250 people, left 100,000 homeless, destroyed more than 17,400 structures, and burned more than 2,000 acres. In 1920, President Woodrow Wilson issued the first National Fire Prevention Day proclamation, and since 1922, Fire Prevention Week has been observed on the Sunday through Saturday period in which October 9 falls. For more information about the week or CFFS, visit www.CFFSI.org.