October 11, 2005 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (SH2005-36) FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION R. Steve Huffman Public Information Officer (251) 208-5806/Fax: (251) 208-5813 E-Mail: huffman@cityofmobile.org FIRE PREVENTION ACTIVITIES IN BIENVILLE SQUARE Mobile Fire-Rescue Department in conjunction with Brown Bag in Bienville will host Fire Prevention Week activities in Bienville Square on Wednesday, October 12, 2005. The hours will be from 11:30 a.m. until around 2:00 p.m. There will be a parade around the square as well as fire trucks on display. The department will have fire prevention and safety information available for all ages. Fire Prevention Week runs nationwide during the week of October 9-15 and this years Theme is "Use Candles with Care". Fire Prevention Week was established to commemorate the Great Chicago Fire, the tragic 1871 conflagration 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. In 1920, President Woodrow Wilson issued the first National Fire Prevention Day proclamation, and since 1922, Fire Prevention Week has been observed on the Sunday through Saturday period in which October 9 falls. According to the National Archives and Records Administration's Library Information Center, Fire Prevention Week is the longest running public health and safety observance on record. The President of the United States has signed a proclamation proclaiming a national observance during that week every year since 1925. ###