DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) — In 1925 President Calvin Coolidge issued a proclamation creating the first Fire Prevention Week. Now, 99 years later, fire departments in the U.S. and Canada, use Fire Prevention Week to educate the public and students about fire safety.
Fire in downtown Lincoln, Illinois September 5, 2024
When Coolidge proclaimed Fire Prevention Week for the week of October 4-10, 1925 he noted the death toll nationwide from 1924. That year an estimated 15,000 people were killed in fires in the United States.
A group of children visited station 1 in Decatur on Tuesday. They had a chance to meet firefighters and receive some education on fire safety basics.
In 2023, Illinois saw 89 deaths in residential fires. Many of those deaths happened in homes with no smoke detectors.
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