Mercer County, Robbinsville, Robbinsville

Fire Prevention Week October 4-10, 2020, Robbinsville Township Fire Department Delivers Online Messages

October 5, 2020

ROBBINSVILLE, NJ (MERCER)–The Robbinsville Township Fire Department has taken Fire Prevention Week virtual this year due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. The fire department will be delivering messages to the schools and public via several videos that will be found on the department’s Facebook Page. The first video was released this morning:

If video does not play visit the Robbinsville Township Fire Department Facebook Page Here

It is National Fire Prevention Week. Due to COVID-19 the RTFD is unable to deliver Fire Prevention Week in a traditional way. So in an effort to get the message out (and have a little fun at our expense as well) we present our first installment of fire safety tips. According to the NFPA, cooking is the leading cause of home fires and home fire injuries in the US. Almost half (44%) of reported home fires start in the kitchen. Two-thirds (66%) of home cooking fires start with the ignition of food or other cooking materials.

This week is National Fire Prevention Week. As with many aspects of our lives, Fire Prevention Week will be somewhat different this year. Instead of making annual stops at our local schools and day care centers, our message will be delivered virtually this year to our local students with cooperation from our school community. Additionally, we will share safety videos produced by our personnel via Facebook beginning tomorrow.

Before we do so we would also like to share the origins of how and why this week came to be. 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 6th 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.