Monroe Fire Hosts Open House to Kick Off Fire Prevention Week

Monroe Volunteer Fire Department is hosting their annual open house to kick off fire prevention week.

Activities include fire house tours, activities, music, truck tours, fire safety tips, raffles and more. Monroe Volunteer Fire Department is a 100 percent volunteer-run 501(c)3 organization. The company has been serving the community since 1923.

Monroe Volunteer Fire Department open house will be held at the fire station, 18 Shelton Road, Monroe.

ABOUT FIRE PREVENTION WEEK

Since 1922, Fire Prevention Week has been observed on the Sunday through Saturday period in which October 9 falls. 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.