It's Fire Prevention Week

1. This week is Fire Prevention week, says the National Fire Protection Association.

2. Mayor Jason McCoy will make a special presentation to Fire Marshal Ray Walker during tonight's Town Council meeting.

3. 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 NFPA  says. The fire began on Oct. 8, but continued into and did most of its damage on Oct. 9.

4. 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.

5. This year's theme is: "It's Fire Prevention Week! Protect Your Family From Fire!" Many local school classrooms are featuring fire prevention lessons this week.