The Great Chicago Fire began on Oct. 8, 1871 and burned for 27 hours eventually ending on Oct. 9 resulting in the deaths of 300 people. This fire left 90,000 people homeless and destroyed 17,400 structures. In 1911, on the 40th anniversary of this tragic event, the Fire Marshal’s Association of North America began an effort to keep the public informed about the importance of fire prevention. Over the next nine years, their efforts were very effective and in 1920, President Woodrow Wilson issued the very first National Fire Prevention Day Proclamation. This proclamation created what is now known as “Fire Prevention Week,” which falls on the week in October where the 8th falls each year. In Scarborough, our efforts to spread the fire prevention message actually encompasses the entire month of October.

The Scarborough Fire Department has a long history of taking Fire Prevention very seriously in our community and we have adopted the 3E method: Education, Engineering and Enforcement.

Education efforts are well documented nationwide and the National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA) has the data to prove that fire education efforts save lives and they have been very effective in preventing fires from happening in the first place. The Scarborough Fire Department works with our local elementary schools, nursery schools and day care centers to provide age appropriate fire safety education annually, throughout the month of October. This year’s theme is “Fire won’t wait, plan your escape.” During this year’s visits, our firefighters will be discussing the importance of having an escape plan at home and establishing a meeting place outside to gather safely away from the fire. Additional topics will cover the correct use of 911, not playing with matches or lighters and demonstrating what a firefighter will look like if they would be entering their home to rescue them. We anticipate this year’s efforts will reach approximately 900 local Scarborough youth.

Educational efforts are also utilized by the Scarborough Fire Department while enforcing our State of Maine adopted fire codes and our Town of Scarborough local ordinances. While enforcing these codes and ordinances, the Scarborough Fire Prevention Office strongly believes that providing the education and communication as to why a code or ordinance is required often leads to a building/home owner or developer making the necessary corrections to their building or set of plans so that they can be code compliant.

Engineering refers to our efforts to employ risk reduction methods within our buildings in Scarborough. Smoke and carbon monoxide (CO) alarms are engineered solutions that provide the earliest notifications to a home’s occupants should a fire or harmful condition present itself. The installation of sprinkler systems is another engineered solution that will provide a home’s occupants with protection from fire and ensure that they can egress their house safely.

Today’s homes burn faster than ever! The NFPA experts say you may have as little as two minutes (or even less) to safely escape a typical home fire from the time the smoke alarm sounds. Modern home furnishings, along with the fact that newer homes tend to be built with more open spaces and unprotected lightweight wood construction, all contribute to the increased rate at which home fires burn. The proper placement of smoke and carbon monoxide alarms and the installation of residential sprinkler systems will ensure that your family has the time to escape safely.

Enforcement refers to the methods we use to gain code compliance. A building fire has the potential to not only affect the occupants of that building, but it can threaten the safety of those in neighboring buildings as we saw with the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. Ensuring that all adopted codes and ordinances are followed and working with the building owners to correct any violations found upon inspection to reach code compliance is an effort the Scarborough Fire Department takes seriously.

The fire safety messages delivered during the month of October are not just for school children! This is a great time for every family to perform a home safety fire inspection to include testing your smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, ensuring you have a home escape plan and discussing a safe meeting place for your family once you escape your home. Remember this year’s theme, “Fire won’t wait. Plan your escape.”

Your Scarborough Fire Department is committed to ensure that the residents and visitors of our Town remain safe and healthy. If you have any questions about our Fire Prevention Month activities or any other fire prevention related topics, please feel free to contact me at jbrennan@scarboroughmaine.org or at (207) 883-4542.