EFFINGHAM FIRE DEPARTMENT -
PUBLIC EDUCATION
America’s fire death rate is one of the highest per capita in the world. According to the United States Fire Administration, fire kills over 5,000 people and injures more than 25,000 people each year. In 2004 (the latest year for which statistics are available) direct property losses due to fire exceed $10 billion – 377,050 fires in residential properties and 143,950 fires in non-residential buildings. Most of these deaths and losses can be prevented.
Over 70% of fire deaths occur in residences, most often claiming the lives of the young, the elderly, and the disadvantaged. There is a fire every ten seconds, and every 60 seconds a fire is serious enough to call the fire department. Every two hours someone is killed in a fire. More than 50% of fire deaths in the U.S. are due to ignition of upholstered furniture and mattresses. In 2003, someone died in a fire every 2 hours, and someone was injured every 29 minutes. Most victims of fires died from smoke or toxic gases and not from burns.
The Effingham Fire Department is honored on a national level for their efforts in fire prevention and public fire education for the past 25 years. The National Fire Safety Council has recognized the efforts and success of the departments’ prevention programs for school aged children and use of the Fire Safety House. The Fire Safety House is a mobile house and is designed to create conditions that children would be faced with in the event of a residential fire using theatrical smoke. In addition, Public Fire Safety Programs outside of the schools are coordinated by Richard “Dick” Kenter (Email) and include a variety of topics that promote fire and life safety throughout the home, businesses, and the community, to include Station tours and visits to neighborhood block parties.
We maintain an excellent working relationship with all of the area schools, which actually doubles our efforts having the children take home the information to their parents. Children represent only about 16 percent of the population we must reach, and we have many other people in the community to educate. Fire safety education is a lifelong process and by getting the schools involved, we reach a larger population than just the children. Our fire safety education materials are funded by donations from community businesses in cooperation with the National Fire Safety Council, which we have been part of for over 25 years – NO TAX DOLLARS are currently used for these materials. Our future involvement will continue to visit the elderly centers throughout the City, and expand programs to area businesses.
NATIONAL FIRE PREVENTION WEEK
On Oct. 9, 1871, the Great Chicago Fire started. This tragic fire killed some 300 people, left 100,000 homeless and destroyed more than 17,000 structures. One popular legend claims that Mrs. Catherine O'Leary was milking her cow when the animal kicked over a lamp, set the O'Leary barn on fire and started the fiery conflagration. The City of Chicago was fast to rebuild and soon began to remember the event with festivities.
The Fire Marshals Association of North America (FMANA) believed the 40th anniversary of the Great Chicago Fire should be observed in a way that would keep the public aware of the importance of fire prevention. On October 9, 1911, FMANA sponsored the first National Prevention Day.
In 1920, President Woodrow Wilson issued the first National Fire Prevention Day proclamation. By 1925, President Calvin Coolidge proclaimed the first National Fire Prevention Week, which was October 4th-10th, 1925. He noted that in the previous year approximately 15,000 lives had been lost to fire in the United States. President Coolidge's proclamation stated. "This waste results from conditions that 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 that have made possible so vast a destruction of the national wealth."
National Fire Prevention Week is always the week in which October 9th falls. Each year a specific theme is chosen and is commemorated throughout the United States. This year’s theme:
"Prevent Home Fires”
October 5-11, 2008
• Cooking should not be left unattended
• Stop, Drop, and Roll if your clothes catch on fire
EFFINGHAM FIRE DEPARTMENT
"OPEN HOUSE"
Oct. 5, 2008 -- 1 to 5 p.m.