National Fire Prevention Day Date in the current year: October 9, 2024

Fire Prevention Day, later expanded to Fire Prevention Week, was established to commemorate the Great Chicago Fire. It started as a small barn fire and turned into a conflagration that burned from October 8 to October 10, 1871. The fire destroyed roughly 3.3 square miles of Chicago with 17,500 buildings, killed up to 300 people, and left over 100,000 residents homeless.

The inaugural National Fire Prevention Day commemorated the 40th anniversary of the Great Chicago Fire. It was sponsored by the Fire Marshals Association of North America, a membership section of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). Canada joined the fire prevention Campaign in 1919. In 1922, it was decided to expand Fire Prevention Day to Fire Prevention Week.

The first official Fire Prevention Week proclamation in the United States was issued in 1925 by President Calvin Coolidge. It has been proclaimed every year since. The NFPA continues to be the sponsor of the week. The official mascot of the NFPA and, by extension, of the Fire Prevention Week is Sparky the Fire Dog that promotes fire safety education for children.