National Fire Prevention Week

National Fire Prevention Week is held each October and was established to commemorate the Great Chicago Fire of Oct. 8-10, 1871, which killed more than 250 people, left 100,000 homeless, destroyed more than 17,400 structures, and burned more than 2,000 acres.

The Wheeling Fire Department recommends that families, especially with youths practice fire drills in their homes and establish a meeting point outside.

Should your house, or a building you are in catch fire, you have very little time to escape without harm. WFD encourages everyone to learn about fire safety this week.

The Bureau of Fire Prevention also reminds everyone to change the batteries in their smoke alarms twice a year – most notably when we change the clocks for “Fall Back” (First Sunday in November) and “Spring Forward" (Second Sunday in March).

Learn more at firepreventionweek.org