Support Fire Prevention
A memory that changed the course of Public Perception
HISTORICAL:
Fire Prevention Week was established to commemorate the Great Chicago Fire, the tragic 1871 conflagration that killed more than 250 people, left 100,000 homeless, destroyed more than 17,400 structures and burned more than 2,000 acres. The fire began on October 8, but continued into and did most of its damage on October 9, 1871.
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 recent research by Chicago historian Robert Cromie has helped to debunk this version of events.
The 'Moo' myth 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, what 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 that week While the Great Chicago Fire was the best-known blaze to start 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, which also occurred on October 8th, 1871, and roared through Northeast Wisconsin, burning down 16 towns, killing 1,152 people, and scorching 1.2 million acres before it ended.
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,' some survivors said. It was the small town of Peshtigo, Wisconsin that suffered the worst damage. Within an hour, the entire town had been destroyed.
Eight decades of fire prevention 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 (today known as the International Fire Marshals Association), decided that the anniversary of the Great Chicago Fire should henceforth be observed not with festivities, but in a way that would keep the public informed about the importance of fire prevention. The commemoration grew incrementally official over the years.
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. According to the National Archives and Records Administration's Library Information Center, Fire Prevention Week is the longest running public health and safety observance on record. The President of the United States has signed a proclamation proclaiming a national observance during that week every year since 1925.
CALL to Action:
So we have an idea of a point in time that things seemed to change for America for protecting people from the ravages of fire and being more cautious when it comes to open flames and all. But, that is just the tip of the iceburg, as there are so many ways fire can occur.
So long as there is Heat, a fuel source and Oxygen to feed the fire it will burn.
Now we focus on the root causes of fire, which is a huge topic as there are several things and ways fire can occur, not enough room to cover all of them in a blog post. But how we can become for knowlegable about fire and the cause of fire is by presenting classes and demonstrations for employees, perhaps even the youth to aid in early visualization of the effects of certain aspects which shape our lives. Such vested interest in employee, students and even family members can lead to a safer life, work place and environment.
In the past I can recall during my years of providing training to the public, I have had people to tell me how my training had saved their home or the vehicle because they had vested in a fire extinguisher, and the remembered the training, then ended up having to use it. One explained they didn't have fear in using it and knew what to do because of my class. To me that makes it all worth while, when I know that providing training to others actually makes a difference. So if not today then down the road education on common hazards can save lives and or property, when somebody takes a initiative to educate.
Of course what I am saying is targeted towards educators because it is the way we can select and learn a course to present to the masses that really makes a difference. Each year we see fires started in the wildernes areas which involve thousands of achers of vegitation and sometimes peoples homes and property. With early training people might have a better perspective on how to safe their campsites, their travel homes, their fixed and permenant living spaces and the job sites. We can potienitally rid the fear of the use of fire extinguishers and notifying others using methods like activating fire alarms and such. Incorporation of fire training with other safety training is essential for businesses to assure their work places are safe, but it all must start from those who are willing to on the iniative.
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