Fire safety: Every October, Fire Prevention Week &
Change your clock, change your battery

Fire Prevention Week: Oct. 4-10, 2009

Each year, Fire Prevention Week falls around the 9th of October. This was the date in 1871 when Mrs. O'Leary's cow is alleged to have started the Great Chicago Fire.

In 2009, Fire Prevention Week was October 4 - 10 with the theme, "Stay Fire Smart!  Don't Get Burned."  The focus was on burn awareness and prevention as well as keeping homes safe from the leading causes of home fires.  Visit www.firepreventionweek.org (external link) to learn more.

Change your clock, change your battery

The annual "Change Your Clock, Change Your Battery!" safety program also occurs during the month of October.

The program promotes the adoption of a simple lifesaving habit: Change all smoke alarm batteries when you change your clocks back to Standard Time each fall.

Smoke alarm tips

• Change your smoke alarm batteries.
• Check your smoke alarms.
• Count your smoke alarms.
• Clean your smoke alarms.

See the Change Your Clock, Change Your Battery handout (PDF*, 158KB) for detailed information.

*Note: To view PDFs, free software from Adobe is required. See helpful hints for assistance.

To request this information in alternate formats for people with disabilities, call 206-296-6600 or TTY Relay:  711.