Assembly Resolution No. 565

BY: M. of A. Zebrowski

MEMORIALIZING Governor Kathy Hochul to proclaim
October 8-14, 2023, as Fire Prevention Week in the
State of New York

WHEREAS, This Legislative Body has the deepest pride and admiration
for the fire departments of New York State which perform the crucial
work of fire protection and fire prevention; and

WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its
long-standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to
memorialize Governor Kathy Hochul to proclaim October 8-14, 2023, as
Fire Prevention Week in the State of New York, in conjunction with the
observance of National Fire Prevention Week; and

WHEREAS, National 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; it began on October
8, but continued into and did most of its damage on October 9, 1871; and

WHEREAS, While the Great Chicago Fire was the best-known blaze to
start during this fiery two-day stretch, it was not the biggest; that
distinction goes to the Peshtigo Fire, the most devastating forest fire
in American history, which also occurred on October 8, 1871, and roared
through Northeast Wisconsin, burning down 16 towns, killing 1,152
people, and scorching 1.2 million acres before it ended; and

WHEREAS, Those who survived the Chicago and Peshtigo fires never
forgot what they had been through; both blazes produced countless tales
of bravery and heroism, but also changed the way firefighters and public
officials thought about fire safety; and

WHEREAS, On the anniversary of the Great Chicago Fire, the Fire
Marshals Association of North America, today known as the International
Fire Marshals Association, decided that it should henceforth be observed
not with festivities, but in a way that would keep the public informed
about the importance of fire prevention; and

WHEREAS, The commemoration grew incrementally official over the
years; 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 9th
falls; and

WHEREAS, According to the National Archives and Records
Administration's Library Information Center, National Fire Prevention
Week is the longest running public health and safety observance on
record; the President of the United States has signed a proclamation
declaring a national observance during that week every year since 1925;
and

WHEREAS, During Fire Prevention Week, children, adults, and teachers
learn how to stay safe in case of a fire; firefighters provide

lifesaving public education in an effort to drastically decrease
casualties caused by fires; and

WHEREAS, Every 23 seconds, a fire department in the United States
responds to a fire somewhere in the nation; a fire occurs in a structure
at the rate of one every 64 seconds, and a home fire occurs every 89
seconds; and

WHEREAS, Fire departments responded to an estimated 1,388,500 fires,
in 2020; these fires caused an estimated 3,500 civilian deaths and
15,200 civilian injuries; and

WHEREAS, An estimated $15.9 billion in property damage occurred as a
result of fires in 2021; and

WHEREAS, The 338,000 home structure fires, which includes one-and
two-family homes and apartments, caused 2,840 civilian deaths; this
includes 2,440 civilian deaths in one- and two-family homes and 400 in
apartments or other multi-family housing, including condominiums;
furthermore, seventy-five percent of civilian fire deaths resulted from
home fires; and WHEREAS It is imperative that there be greater awareness
of ways in which we can prevent loss of life and property from fire;
now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
memorialize Governor Kathy Hochul to proclaim October 8-14, 2023, as
Fire Prevention Week in the State of New York; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be
transmitted to The Honorable Kathy Hochul, Governor of the State of New
York.