The
History of Fire Prevention Week
80 Years
of Fire Prevention
The history of Fire Prevention Week has its roots in the Great Chicago Fire, which began on October 8 but continued into and did most damage on October 9, 1871. In just 27 hours, this tragic conflagration killed more than 250 people, left 100,000 homeless, destroyed more than 17,400 structures and burned more than 2,000 acres. While the origin of the fire has never been determined, there has been much speculation over how it began.
According to popular legend, the fire broke out after a cow – belonging to Mrs. Catherine O'Leary – kicked over a lamp, setting first the barn, then the whole city on fire. Chances are you've heard some version of this story yourself; people have been blaming the Great Chicago Fire on the cow and Mrs. O'Leary, for more than 130 years. But important research by Chicago historian Robert Cromie has helped to debunk this version of events.
An Old Cow's Tale
Like any good story, the "case of the cow" has some truth to it.
The great fire almost certainly started near the barn where Mrs. O'Leary kept
her five milking cows. But there is no proof that O'Leary was in the barn when
the fire broke out – or that a jumpy cow sparked the blaze. Mrs. O'Leary
herself swore that she'd been in bed early that night, and that the cows were
also tucked in for the evening. But if a cow wasn't to blame for the huge fire,
who was? Over the years, journalists and historians have offered plenty of
theories. Some blamed the blaze on a couple of neighborhood boys who were near
the barn sneaking cigarettes. Others believed that a neighbor of the O'Leary's
may have started the fire. Some people have speculated that a fiery meteorite
may have fallen to earth on October 8, starting several fires that day – in
Michigan and Wisconsin, as well as in Chicago.
The Biggest Blaze
While the Great Chicago Fire – and its "cow culprit" – was the
best known blaze to erupt during this fiery two-day stretch, it wasn't the
biggest. That distinction goes to the Peshtigo Fire, the most devastating forest
fire in American history. The fire roared through Northeast Wisconsin, burning
down 16 towns, killing 1200 people, and scorching 1.2 million acres before it
was done. Historical accounts of the fire say that the blaze began when several
railroad workers clearing land for tracks unintentionally started a brush fire.
Before long, the fast-moving flames were whipping through the area "like a
tornado," survivors said. It was the small town of Peshtigo, Wisconsin that
suffered the worst damage. Within an hour, the entire town had been destroyed,
and some 800 residents lost their lives.
Remembering Safety
Those who survived the Chicago and Peshtigo fires never forgot what they'd
been through; both blazes produced countless tales of bravery and heroism. But
the fires also changed the way that firefighters and public officials thought
about fire safety. On the 40th anniversary of the Great Chicago Fire, the Fire
Marshals' Association of North America (now known as the International Fire
Marshal's Association), the oldest membership section of the National Fire
Protection Association (NFPA), decided that the 40th anniversary of the Great
Chicago Fire should be observed not with festivities, but in a way that would
keep the public informed about the importance of fire prevention.
80 Years of Fire Prevention
In 1920, President Woodrow Wilson issued the first National Fire Prevention
Day proclamation, and since 1922, National Fire Prevention Week has been
observed on the Sunday-through-Saturday period in which October 9 falls. In
addition, the President of the United States has signed a proclamation
pronouncing a national observance during that week every year since 1925.
NFPA has officially sponsored Fire Prevention Week since the observance was first established. That's 80 years of raising public awareness about the dangers of fire and how to prevent it.
Reproduced from NFPA's Fire Prevention Week Web site
www.firepreventionweek.org.