Thursday, October 05, 2006
Fire Prevention Week...
Next week, October 8th - 14th is Fire Prevention Week. Prevent Cooking Fires: Watch What You Heat" — that's the message of this year's Fire Prevention Week.
Help with spreading the word that more fires start in the kitchen than in any other part of the home — and teaching families and kids how to keep cooking fires from starting in the first place.
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. 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.
Some things to do:
Next week, October 8th - 14th is Fire Prevention Week. Prevent Cooking Fires: Watch What You Heat" — that's the message of this year's Fire Prevention Week.
Help with spreading the word that more fires start in the kitchen than in any other part of the home — and teaching families and kids how to keep cooking fires from starting in the first place.
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. 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.
Some things to do:
- Create your own "Kid-Free Zone" tool to demonstrate the distance kids should stay away from the stove.
- See Sparky's "Key Points for Kids" for information on cooking safety and other "hot" topics.
- Develop and practice a home fire escape plan
- Visit the Miller family for a step-by-step guide on home escape planning.
- Hunt for home hazards with the Simpson family.
- Staying overnight at a friends' house? Review our sleepover safety tips.
- Check out cool games at Sparky's Arcade and at the Risk Watch® Kids Only page.
E-mail a cool safety card to your friends and family. - Print out Sparky's "Five Steps to Fire Safety "
- Download Caregiver letters (in English and Spanish) for kids to take home.
- Use Lesson plans to identify key safety messages on cooking safety and have fun with Sparky's World Series.
- Give out this activity page and see if your students can find the hidden safety messages on this FPW coloring page
Some other resources for activities and crafts:
- Sparky's web site.
- Fire Prevention Week for Teachers Everything you need to teach your students important information about fire safety.
- Curious Kids Set Fires A fact sheet from the United States Fire Administration (USFA).
- Working Together for Home Fire Safety A nice resource for parents, teachers, and older students from USFA.
- Home Fire Escape Plan A home escape plan must be created and practiced so that each person knows exactly what to do.
- A Fire Safety Web Site for Middle School Students This Web site, for students grades 5-8, encourages students to "get informed and inform others." Site includes links to other sites and a list of projects for middle school students.
- Smokey the Bear Smokey's Web site includes fun activities for kids, Smokey's rules, pen pals, and links to other resources.
- Kids' Fire Safety Tips A simple site for the youngest kids has large, fun illustrations with tips from Buzzy the Smoke Detector, Reddy the Fire Extinguisher, Squirt the Water Drop and other fire safety friends.
- The Firehouse Museum A collection of photographs and fire fighting equipment and memorabilia provides the opportunity to see "what our grandfathers and great grandfathers had to use when it came to fighting fires."
- A Hot Shot Photo Journal Follow a U.S. Forest Service "hotshot crew" as they fight forest fires in America's wilderness.
- Smoke Detectives Information about a complete teaching package from State Farm Insurance for use with K-6 students. (I really like this one. We have the program and view it with the kids every year.)
This is a great time and reason to go over all the fire safety and prevention tips with the children in your care!
// posted by Tammy Wachter @ 4:25 PM 
