Fire prevention begins at home
For more than 140 years, Mrs. O’Leary’s cow has been blamed for the Great Chicago Fire. The poor animal has been accused of kicking over a lamp that set the barn and then all of Chicago on fire on Oct. 8, 1871. The resulting conflagration killed more than 250 people, left 100,000 people homeless, destroyed more than 17,400 structures, and burned more than 2,000 acres.
That fire and an even more devastating fire northeast Wisconsin, which started on Oct. 8, burning down 16 towns, killing 1,152 people, and scorching 1.2 million acres, changed the way that firefighters and public officials thought about fire safety. On the 40th anniversary, then Fire Marshals Association of North America decided that it should be observed with festivities as a way to keep the public informed about the importance of fire prevention.
One hundred forty-three years later, we observe October as Fire Prevention Month, and the week of Oct. 9 is Fire Prevention Week. Local fire departments and departments across the country have different things planned to get the word out that fire safety is a serious matter.
The South Lyon Fire Department started early with its focus on fire prevention. They were out in full force at last month’s South Lyon Depot Day to meet with children and adults to discuss the importance of a home evacuation plan and what to do in an emergency. Department personnel will be visiting schools and meeting with community groups this month, as well, to spread the word.
The Lyon Township Fire Department is planning its annual Halloween party for later this month. The annual event is free and open to children of all ages. The fire department sets up a number of games and has plenty of food and candy for everyone there. The program gives kids a chance to meet firefighters and learn important safety tips.
These kinds of festivities are designed to be fun and interactive, and also are meant to keep people aware of what they can do to survive a fire. One of the main tools is smoke detectors. They can give people the warning needed to escape a fire, but in many cases of fire deaths, they aren’t operational.
Nearly two-thirds of home structure fire deaths occur in homes where there is no smoke alarm or where smoke alarms are present but fail to operate because the batteries have been removed. Having working smoke alarms cuts the risk of dying in reported home fires in half and having automatic fire sprinkler systems in the home cuts the risk of dying in a home fire by about 80 percent.
Fire officials recommend that smoke alarms should be installed in every bedroom, outside each sleeping area and on every level of a home, including the basement. They should be tested every month and replaced every 10 years.
Mrs. O’Leary’s cow has aken a lot of lumps for the Great Chicago Fire, but she also should get credit her for today’s fire prevention effort. Considering what happened on Oct. 8, 1871, the 143rd anniversary sounds like an excellent time to make sure you smoke detectors are operating. Push the test button to see if they work. Change the batteries, if necessary, and put up more throughout your home.
Smoke detectors do save lives. Make sure yours is one of them.