Fire Prevention Month and Call 811 Before You Dig – A Good Match!

Fire safety needs to be practiced year-round, but the month of October has special meaning for fire safety officials because October is Fire Prevention Month. It’s a time when education and awareness about fire safety are promoted through special events in fire stations, schools, senior centers, places of worship and other locations where community members gather, with the goal of preventing fires and their tragic impacts.

Originally just limited to one week in October (and known as Fire Prevention Week), Fire Prevention Month is the longest-running public health and safety observance on record in the United States. Officially practiced in one form or another since 1922, it was initiated by fire prevention officials as a positive way to memorialize the Great Chicago Fire, which – on October 8-9, 1871 – claimed more than

250 lives, left 100,000 people homeless and destroyed more than 17,400 structures. Over the years, themes have been designated as a focus for educational messages ranging from the very general (“Help Stop Fire”) to the more specific (“Use Candles With Care”). Today, during the course of Fire Prevention Month, the fire service, teachers and the media seek out a variety of safety messages and materials to

disseminate.

The National Association of State Fire Marshals (NASFM) encourages Common Ground Alliance Members to work with their local fire departments, community groups and media to include the 811 message as part of their Fire Prevention Month activities. “The 811 Call Before You Dig message is

entirely consistent with the safety messages we traditionally promote during Fire Prevention Month,”

says Georgia State Fire Marshal Alan Shuman, President of NASFM. He adds, “When people learn

how they can prevent deaths, injuries and other problems when they dig in their yards, they save the fire department from having to respond to an incident involving damaged underground utility lines. So, a call to 811 can prevent a call to 911.” To learn more about how you can participate in Fire Prevention Month with 811 campaign materials, call your local fire department.

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