“Serve Up Fire Safety in the Kitchen!™” is this year's National Fire Prevention Week theme. 

Did you know cooking is the #1 cause of home fires and home fire injuries?  And unattended cooking is the leading cause of fires in the kitchen.  Remember to stay in the kitchen when you are frying, boiling, grilling, or broiling food.  Also have a “kid-free zone” of at least 3 feet around the stove and areas where hot food or drink is prepared or carried.

Remember to replace the batteries in all your smoke detectors to ensure they are working properly.

Since 1922, the NFPA has sponsored the public observance of Fire Prevention Week. In 1925, President Calvin Coolidge proclaimed Fire Prevention Week a national observance, making it the longest-running public health observance in our country. During Fire Prevention Week, children, adults, and teachers learn how to stay safe in case of a fire. Firefighters provide lifesaving public education in an effort to drastically decrease casualties caused by fires.

Fire Prevention Week is observed each year during the week of October 9th in commemoration of the Great Chicago Fire, which began on October 8, 1871, and caused devastating damage. This horrific conflagration killed more than 250 people, left 100,000 homeless, destroyed more than 17,400 structures, and burned more than 2,000 acres of land.