Whitehouse Fire Company # 1, Inc.

"22 Fire"

[A bit of History on Fire Prevention Week]     [Photos]

Our Open House is scheduled each year during Fire Prevention Week

2007 Open House date to be announced.

This year's open house is scheduled for

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2006 from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Take a tour of a fire station, learn about safety techniques through displays, see equipment demonstrations and fire trucks at the Whitehouse Fire Company Open House

The Open House will be held at the Fire House on Main Street, Route 523 South of Route 22. We are located just south of the Whitehouse Train Station and next to the Post Office. The event is free and open to the public.

Along with getting an up close look at the Fire Company; the Open House also features important safety prevention resources. Children will help find fire/safety hazards and be able to practice an escape plan out of the Red Cross Fire Safety House. Information is available to make your homes safer. Several partner agencies and their equipment will also be on site offering safety awareness and sharing how they benefit our community.

An exciting Inflatable Rainbow Jump, Climb and Slide activity will be present for children.

Help the Whitehouse Fire Company kick off the National Fire Prevention Week by attending our Open House.  Fire Prevention Week is held October 8-14, 2006 and “Prevent Cooking Fires: Watch What You Heat" is this year’s theme.

County Office of Emergency Management [OEM] Mobile Command Post

Readington Township Police Department Child Car Seat Protection

Whitehouse First Aid and Rescue

American Red Cross Fire Safety House

Hunterdon County Sheriff’s Department Ident-A-Kid Program

Fire Prevention Week

A Bit of History

The following information was received in our township newsletter.  I thought it to be quite interesting and decided to share it with more than just Readington Township.

Fire Prevention Week was established to commemorate the Great Chicago Fire, the tragic 1871 blaze 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.

While the Great Chicago Fire was the best-known blaze to start during this two-day stretch, it wasn't the biggest.  That distinction goes to the Peshtigo Fire, the most devastating forest fire in American history.  The fire, which also occurred on October 8. 1871, roared through Northeast Wisconsin, burning down 16 towns, killing 1,152 people and scorching 1.2 million acres before it ended.

Those who survived these devastating fires never forgot what they had been through; both blazes produced countless tales of bravery and heroism.  But the fires also changed the way that firefighters and public officials thought about fire safety.  On the 40th anniversary of the Great Chicago Fire, the Fire Marshalls Association of North America (today known as the International Fire Marshall's Association decided that the anniversary of the Great Chicago Fire should henceforth be observed not with festivities, but with an emphasis on fire safety and prevention.  And the commemoration has grown over the years.

In 1920, President Woodrow Wilson issued the first National Fire Prevention Day proclamation and since 1922,  Fire Prevention Week has been observed the 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 U.S. President has signed a proclamation declaring a national observance during that week every year since 1925.

Photos of Previous Fire Prevention Week Open Houses

Click on any picture to enlarge

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