The Great Chicago Fire of 1871 lasted two days – October 8th and 9th – and killed more than 250 people, left 100,000 homeless and burned more than 2,000 acres. The fire forever changed the way that public officials viewed fire safety. To mark the 40th anniversary of this tragic event, the Fire Marshals Association of North America deemed that the most appropriate commemoration was to do everything they could to educate and inform the public about the importance of fire safety and prevention. Since 1922, Fire Prevention Week has been observed on the Sunday through to the Saturday that October 9th falls on.

Every year, the Fire Protection Services of HRSDC – Labour Program arranges for the Fire Prevention Week Order in Council Proclamation by the Governor General of Canada – joins forces with Fire Prevention Canada at the National Launch to promote the observance of Fire Prevention Week across Canada.

This year Fire Prevention Week will be observed on October 5th through to October 11th. The theme is: It's Fire Prevention Week: Prevent Home Fires©. Fire Prevention Canada officially launched Fire Prevention Week in the nation's capital on October 2nd at the Barney Danson Theatre in the Canadian War Museum. The special guest speaker was Michael Gaultois, whose life was forever changed by the misuse of a candle, which caused the cabin he was visiting as a child to ignite into flames. The fire burned 85% of his body. Michael reminded his audience of how vital it is to make fire prevention a part of their daily lives.

RBC Insurance presented Fire Prevention Canada with a $15,000 donation to further FIPRECAN’s mission of increasing awareness of fire prevention and safety across Canada. RBC Insurance also revealed the results of its just completed survey of the importance of fire prevention to Canadians, and their state of preparedness in the event of a fire. For more information, please visit:

www.rbcinsurance.com/firesafety

Award-winning children’s performer Mary Lambert was also on hand to perform “Sing Out Fire Safety” which entertained, but more importantly educated children on fire prevention measures to institute in their homes, including a fire escape plan.

Fire Prevention Week in 2007 was held from October 7th through to October 13th. The theme was, "It's Fire Prevention Week - Practice Your Escape Plan"©. On October 4th, Fire Prevention Canada hosted the 11^th annual national launch of Fire Prevention Week in the Barney Danson Theatre at the Canadian War Museum. The special guest speaker was MP Pierre Poilievre, Parliamentary Secretary to the President of the Treasury Board and Member of Parliament for Nepean-Carleton, on behalf of the Honourable Jean Pierre Blackburn, Minister of Labour and Minister of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec.

The master of ceremonies was Frank Albert, former President of Fire Prevention Canada and Fire Chief of Cowansville, Quebec. Other speakers included FIPRECAN’s President David Hodgins and Eugene Marotta, Director of Fire Protection Services, HRSDC-Labour and President of CCFM&FC. Representatives from the Fire Service, government departments and other organizations including the Canada Safety Council, Canadian Fallen Firefighters Foundation and the National Research Council were in attendance. Lunch was sponsored by Levitt Safety.

The theme for Fire Prevention Week in 2006 was "It’s Fire Prevention Week: Prevent Cooking Fires – Watch What You Heat "©. To raise awareness of fire prevention, Fire Prevention Canada hosted the 10^th annual national launch of Fire Prevention Week in the West Block on Parliament Hill. Representatives from the Fire Service, government departments and other organizations including the Canada Safety Council, Canadian Fallen Firefighters Foundation and the Canadian Forces Fire Marshal were in attendance. The master of ceremonies for the occasion was Frank Albert, former President of FIPRECAN and Fire Chief of Cowansville, Quebec, who explained the importance of the year’s theme to an audience of over 250 primary school students.

Guest speakers for the launch were The Honourable Jean-Pierre Blackburn, Minister of Labour and Minister of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec, and Eugene Marotta, Director, Fire Protection Services, HRSDC-Labour & FIPRECAN Director.

Mary Lambert performed "Sing Out Fire Safety" which was thoroughly enjoyed by all, especially the children. Each child received a "FIPRECAN Bag" that contained a smoke alarm provided by Mr. Marotta’s department, a "flameless candle" donated by Northern International and an activity book together with information on candle safety prepared by Health Canada. Lunch was sponsored by Levitt Safety.

The annual launch on Parliament Hill of Fire Prevention Week took place on October 6th, 2005, and was hosted by the Honourable Joe Fontana, Minister of Labour and Housing and Frank Albert, former President of FIPRECAN and Fire Chief of Cowansville, Quebec. The theme for Fire Prevention Week was "It’s Fire Prevention Week: Use candles with care. When you go out, blow out!”©. The goal was to reduce the number of fatalities, injuries and property damage caused by the negligent use of candles.

Over 250 elementary schoolchildren and fire department officials were treated to a thoroughly entertaining but instructive performance by Mary Lambert and her companion, Sparky the Fire Dog. By the end of the festivities, the children were given a bag of Fire Prevention Canada goodies, which included a smoke alarm courtesy of HRSDC, a flameless candle from Northern International and an activity book with information on candles, created by Health Canada. Lunch was sponsored by Levitt Safety.

"It’s Fire Prevention Week: Test Your Smoke Alarms"© was the theme in 2004, highlighting the shocking number of fatalities from residential fires where no smoke alarms were installed or where smoke alarms were installed but not functioning properly. On Parliament Hill, Marlene Catterall, MP for Ottawa West-Nepean, Ontario, on behalf of the Honourable Joe Fontana, Minister of Labour and Housing, with Frank Albert, former President of Fire Prevention Canada officially launched the event.

Fire department officials were joined by over 250 elementary school children and children’s performer Mary Lambert with her sidekick Sparky the Fire Dog to kick off the weeklong event, which ran from October 3rd to October 9th. The audience was not only entertained, but educated on the facts of smoke alarms. All attendees were provided with a Fire Prevention Canada bag which included a booklet from Health Canada on how to install and properly maintain smoke alarms, along with an actual smoke alarm from HRSDC.

In observance for over 80 years, Fire Prevention Week reminds Canadians of the need to remain alert and responsive to the dangers of fire. In 2003, the theme was, “It’s Fire Prevention Week: When Fire Strikes: Get Out! Stay Out!” © The theme emphasized the importance of developing and practicing fire drills at home and at work.

Claudette Bradshaw, the Minister of Labour, along with Frank Albert, former President of Fire Prevention Canada, officially launched the campaign during a daylong ceremony on Parliament Hill. Mary Lambert performed to an audience of over 250 elementary school children. Minister Bradshaw spent time with the children and assisted in handing out smoke detectors to every one of them. Lunch was sponsored by Levitt Safety.

Over 50 honoured guests were in attendance which included MPs, representatives from Health Canada, Public Works, HRDC, CSC, the Ottawa Fire Department, Ontario Fire Marshals, Indian & Northern Affairs, the Senate, The House of Commons and the Speaker of the House.

On October 3rd, 2002, Fire Prevention Canada officially launched Fire Prevention Week on Parliament Hill. The Honourable Claudette Bradshaw, Minister of Labour, together with Tom Makey, President of Fire Prevention Canada presided over the ceremony. The master of ceremonies, Frank Albert, addressed an audience of 250 elementary school children on Fire Prevention Week’s theme, “It’s Fire Prevention Week: Team Up for Fire Safety” which focused on the need for teamwork in hunting for and eliminating fire hazards in the home and in the workplace. The children were given smoke detectors and lunch was sponsored by Levitt Safety. Mary Lambert further instructed the children through her musical magic.

In October 2001, Fire Prevention Canada launched four, 15-second, Public Service Announcements (PSAs). Copies were distributed to major television networks including CBC English and French, Rogers Television, CTV, Global and The Weather Network. The purpose of the PSAs was to educate the public on matters dealing with fire prevention, specifically: 1) overloaded electrical circuits, 2) candles, 3) cooking surfaces, and 4) careless smoking. In May 2002, the PSAs were nominated at the 2002 Kalamazoo Animation Festival International (KAFI) in Michigan. In the category of International Public Service Announcements, “Max the Wall Socket” received the Silver Award and “The Candle” received the Bronze.

STORY 1: Max the Wall Socket Summary: Max is a happy wall socket with no cord plugged into him when we start. Two cords are then plugged into him, one from each side. Max sways to nice calming music; he is enjoying himself. A third cord is plugged to the bottom of Max, which prompts louder, more disruptive music that Max finds discomforting. A fourth cord is plugged into him and now heavy metal music is played that Max finds overwhelming. Max is suddenly terrified at what he sees off-screen. A final cord enters his nose, which triggers screeching guitar music that drives Max over the edge. He starts to shake and begins to enlarge as if he will explode. Suddenly, all the plugs but the original two pop off. After a moment to recover, Max is once again feeling happy, as reflected by the nice calm music that was played earlier.

STORY 2: The Candle Summary: A tall lit candle nestled in a candle holder smiles. A window is raised, and a light breeze makes the curtain bellow close to the candle flame. The candle bends to avoid setting the curtain on fire, but singes a pile of books and papers instead. Trying to avoid the curtain again, the candle singes a plant leaf. The candle finally looses its balance and tips over. Fortunately, the flame goes out and so does not set anything else on fire.

STORY 3: The Pot Summary: The lit burner on the stove is cooking something in a pan, which makes sputtering sounds. A face appears on the pot as he realizes he is alone. The burner gets hotter and hotter, but the pot is enjoying his freedom. However, the burner and the pot get red to the point where it is simply too hot. The pot gets more and more excited until the narrator tells him to simmer down, which he does, grumbling.

STORY 4: The Cigarette Summary: A close-up of a hand holding a lit cigarette. It is night, and the hot ember on the tip of the cigarette looks like a red sleeping cap. The cigarette yawns. The hand goes limp and the cigarette falls out of the hand and onto the upholstery. The cigarette wakes up and tests the softness of the material. He likes it and snuggles up into the material. A shot from a distance shows a bed with smoke rising from part of it. The scene explodes with water — it was a waterbed!