Fire Prevention Week

I have been very busy taking care of some changes that are coming on this site and with life in general. I absolutely forgot Fire Prevention Week. Did you know that the week for prevention was brought about by the Great Chicago Fire of 1871? This year would mark the 135th anniversary of the fire.

On October 9, 1871 the conflagration took place and resulted in sweeping changes throughout the fire service. The death and destruction that resulted aside, the initial fire was, unfortunately, a grand event and one of the best things to happen to the fire service. I know that the destruction of someone’s personal property and the seemingly needless and tragic death of civilians can hardly be viewed as a good thing.

If you think about this from another perspective, try to imagine how the world changes due to tragedy. When thinking about this fire consider the changes that were effected. Wooden chimneys and thatch roofs were banned. Walls were ordered to be built of stone and mortar rather than wood. Fire codes were enacted. Fire Prevention Week was instituted and fire education became a paramount of municipal departments across the country.

In every disaster there are lessons to be learned and problems that are resolved. Yes, the people of the moment are affected and yes they suffer tremendously, but one of our greatest assets is the ability to adapt and overcome.

The Great Chicago Fire of 1871 has been rumored to have been started by Mrs. Oleary’s cow when it knocked over a lantern. This is an urban legend born of misinformation and speculation by unknowledgeable individuals. What did start the fire? No-one knows exactly. There has been many theories and conspiracy theories abound. One thing is for sure the men of the Chicago Fire Department worked tirelessly in a futile effort to contain and extinguish the fire.

For more information on this and other historic fires from Chicago’s history look to the websites noted to the right of my blog. There are, as with any event, many websites dedicated to this fire and ones like it.