{"id":11402,"date":"2025-09-26T16:02:51","date_gmt":"2025-09-26T20:02:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.columbus.in.gov\/fire\/?p=11402"},"modified":"2025-09-26T16:05:04","modified_gmt":"2025-09-26T20:05:04","slug":"october-is-fire-prevention-month","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.columbus.in.gov\/fire\/october-is-fire-prevention-month\/","title":{"rendered":"Fire Prevention Week: October 5-11"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>October is Fire Prevention Month <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-11401 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.columbus.in.gov\/fire\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/09\/IMG_0726-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"Columbus Firefighters and Indiana State Farm Insurance representatives hold a fire preventions week banner while standing in front of CFD Engine 1. The banner reads &quot;Charge into Fire Safety&quot; , and has an image of a home with an electrical bolt battery.\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.columbus.in.gov\/fire\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/09\/IMG_0726-200x150.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.columbus.in.gov\/fire\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/09\/IMG_0726-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.columbus.in.gov\/fire\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/09\/IMG_0726-400x300.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.columbus.in.gov\/fire\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/09\/IMG_0726-600x450.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.columbus.in.gov\/fire\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/09\/IMG_0726-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.columbus.in.gov\/fire\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/09\/IMG_0726-800x600.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.columbus.in.gov\/fire\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/09\/IMG_0726-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.columbus.in.gov\/fire\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/09\/IMG_0726-1200x900.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.columbus.in.gov\/fire\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/09\/IMG_0726-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Fire Prevention Week was established to commemorate the Great Chicago Fire, the tragic 1871 fire 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. There are many theories as to how the fire erupted. The most popular theory is that Mrs. O\u2019Leary\u2019s cow kicked over a lamp, setting first the barn, then the entire city on fire.<\/p>\n<p>Since 1922, fire prevention week is observed on the Sunday through Saturday period in which October 9<sup>th<\/sup> falls. Each year, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) announces a Fire Prevention Week theme to help identify our nation\u2019s most significant fire threats. This year\u2019s theme, \u201cCharge into Fire Safety\u201d \u2014 focuses on the safe use of battery-powered devices and the growing need to understand fire risks in our technology-filled lives. The Columbus Fire Department offers these easy steps to prevent battery related fires:<\/p>\n<p><strong>Charge into Fire Safety: 3 Steps<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Buy only listed products.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>When buying a product that uses a lithium-ion battery, take time to research it. Look for a stamp from a nationally recognized testing lab on the\u00a0packaging and product, which means that it meets important safety standards.<\/li>\n<li>\u00a0Many products sold online and in stores may not meet safety standards and could increase the risk of fire.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Charge devices safely.<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Always use the cords that came with the product to charge it. Follow the instructions from the manufacturer.<\/li>\n<li>If you need a new charger, buy one from the manufacturer or one that the manufacturer has approved.<\/li>\n<li>Charge your device on a hard surface. Don&#8217;t charge it under a pillow, on a bed, or on a couch. This could cause a fire.<\/li>\n<li>Don\u2019t overcharge your device. Unplug it or remove the battery when it\u2019s fully charged.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Recycle batteries responsibly.<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Don\u2019t throw lithium-ion batteries in the trash or regular recycling bins because they could start fire.<\/li>\n<li>Recycling your device or battery at a safe battery recycling location is the best way to dispose of them. Visit\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.call2recycle.org\/\">call2recycle.org<\/a>\u00a0to find a recycling spot near you.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The Columbus Fire Department encourages all residents to be aware of their devices, follow the Buy, Charge, and Recycle Safely approach, and support this year\u2019s FPW theme, \u201cCharge into Fire Safety\u2122.<\/p>\n<p>While safe practices and active fire prevention are the best measures to avoid a residential fire, the Columbus Fire Department also recommends that every home have working smoke alarms. Every home should also develop and practice a residential fire escape plan. \u00a0If you and your family need assistance with home fire escape planning or are in need of working smoke alarms, please contact the Columbus Fire Department at (812) 376-2679.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>October is Fire Prevention Month Fire Prevention Week was established to commemorate the Great Chicago Fire, the tragic 1871 fire 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  [&#8230;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":31,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11402","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-04-26 09:48:52","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.columbus.in.gov\/fire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11402","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.columbus.in.gov\/fire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.columbus.in.gov\/fire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.columbus.in.gov\/fire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/31"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.columbus.in.gov\/fire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11402"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.columbus.in.gov\/fire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11402\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.columbus.in.gov\/fire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11402"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.columbus.in.gov\/fire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11402"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.columbus.in.gov\/fire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11402"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}