Skip to main content

Oregon State Flag An official website of the State of Oregon »

Oregon.gov Homepage Search Site

Fire Prevention Month

2023 Fire Prevention Month 

History and Proclamation

The first proclamation of Fire Prevention Week was signed by President Calvin Coolidge in 1925, making it the longest-running public health observance in U.S. history. Each year, the National Fire Protection Association observes Fire Prevention Week during the week of October 9 in remembrance of the Great Chicago Fire that started on October 8, 1871, where 250 people were killed and 100,000 were left homeless.

In Oregon, the month of October is recognized as Fire Prevention Month. This is most often acknowledged through increased prevention education efforts from the fire service and community outreach events throughout the state.

See the proclamation here.

Social Media Graphics

For graphics to download, save, and share on your social media, visit this page. Scroll down to the bottom of the page for the graphics.

2023 Theme and Messaging

Be Fire Safe in the Kitchen 

Cooking is the leading cause of preventable home fires. Knowing and participating in safe cooking practices in the kitchen is important for everyone. 

Stay alert

  • To prevent cooking fires, you must be alert. You will not be alert if you are sleepy, have consumed alcohol, or have taken medicine or drugs that make you drowsy.
  • Watch what you heat!
  • The leading cause of fires in the kitchen is unattended cooking.
  • Stay in the kitchen when frying, boiling, grilling, or broiling food. Turn off the burner if you leave the kitchen for any reason.
  • If you are simmering, baking, or roasting food, check it regularly and stay inside your home. Use a timer to remind you that you are cooking.

Keep things that can catch fire away from heat sources

  • Keep anything that can catch fire–oven mitts, wooden utensils, food packaging, towels, curtains–away from your stovetop.
  • Keep the stovetop, burners, and oven clean.
  • Wear short, close-fitting, or tightly rolled sleeves when cooking. Loose clothing can dangle onto stove burners and can catch fire if it comes into contact with a gas flame or an electric burner.
  • Keep things that can catch fire away from heat sources. Never use your oven or microwave as storage space. This can cause a fire.

What to do if you have a cooking fire

  • Always keep a lid nearby when you are cooking. If a small grease fire starts in a pan, smother the flames by sliding the lid over the pan. Turn off the burner. Do not move the pan. To keep the fire from restarting, leave the lid on until the pan has cooled.
  • Never pour water on a cooking pan grease fire.
  • Only trained adults should use a fire extinguisher on a grease fire. Only Class K fire extinguishers are rated for the purpose of putting out grease and animal fat fires.
  • In case of an oven fire, turn off the heat and keep the door closed until it is cool. Only open the door once you are confident the fire is completely out, standing to the side as you open the oven door.
  • After a fire, the oven should be checked by a licensed professional and/or serviced before being used again.
  • When in doubt, just get out! When you leave, close the door behind you to help contain the fire. After you leave, call 9-1-1 or the fire department from a mobile phone or a trusted neighbor's phone.
  • Keeping Children and Pets Away from the Cooking Area

Have a “kid-free zone" of at least three feet (one meter) around the stove and areas where hot food or drink is prepared or carried

  • Never hold a child while you are cooking, drinking a hot liquid, or carrying hot foods or liquids.
  • Keep pets off cooking surfaces and nearby countertops to prevent them from knocking things onto the burner.

For more guidance on messaging please visit the OSFM's Cooking Fire Safety Website.

Order brochures and other printed materials

The OSFM has a variety of other printed materials available by request. Each resource comes in packs of 50 and is free of charge to Oregon fire agencies. Request materials here. 

Community Event Resources

This document provides guidance and messaging for Oregon's fire service when participating in fire prevention education in schools. From pre-k to high school, this tool has something for all age groups. It is a helpful resource when hosting an education tabling event. 

The National Fire Prevention Association created a series of resources that are free and available to support your fire prevention efforts. 

The U.S. Fire Administration has a series to support cooking fire prevention, including pictographs with graphic images to model safety in the kitchen. Pictographs from USFA

Classroom and Teacher Resources

PreK- 2nd Grade: 'Learn Not to Burn' is a series of lessons that provide age-appropriate prevention education to children from pre-k through 2nd grade. Educators can download these lessons, free of charge, in both English and Spanish.

2nd-3rd Grade: This kit includes everything a teacher and fire service educator needs to teach 2nd and 3rd grade students about fire safety. From handouts and parent letters to digital whiteboard activities and storybooks, this program allows educators to dive right into Fire Prevention Month. 

The NFPA compiled a collection of resources to support parents, educators, and fire service professionals in their prevention efforts: Sparky's School House

Kahoot!

NFPA Kids has created four Kahoot's for an interactive tool in the classroom while testing and reinforcing important fire prevention education: NFPA Kid's interactive classroom fire safety education in partnership with Kahoot! Academy!


For past Fire Prevention Month education materials, see below.  





This year's Fire Prevention Month theme is "Plan, Practice, Be Prepared." We will discuss all aspects of creating your home fire escape plan, how to put the plan into motion, and how to practice the plan with all of your family members.

We'll give you tips to deal with special considerations of a home fire escape plan, including if you have infants, children, elderly, or differently-abled people living in your home.

Fire Prevention Month History and Proclamation

The first proclamation of Fire Prevention Week was signed by President Calvin Coolidge in 1925, making it the longest-running public health observance in U.S. history. Each year, the National Fire Protection Association observes Fire Prevention Week during the week of October 9 in remembrance of the Great Chicago Fire which began on October 8, 1871, where 250 people were killed and 100,000 were left homeless.

In Oregon, the entire month of October is recognized as Fire Prevention Month. This is most often acknowledged through increased prevention education efforts from the fire service and community outreach events throughout the state.

Fire Prevention Month Governor's Proclamation

Social Media Graphics

2022 Theme and Messaging

Plan, Practice, Be Prepared with a Home Fire Escape Plan

Home fires are burning hotter and faster, leaving as little as two minutes for people to escape. Having a plan and practicing it often can make a lifesaving difference.

Prepare

  • Install a smoke alarm on every level of the home, including the basement, outside of sleeping areas, and inside each bedroom.
  • Make sure everyone in the home knows the sounds of the alarm and what it means if they hear three beeps.
  • Walk through the home and inspect all possible exits and escape routes. Make sure all doors and windows that lead to the outside open easily.
  • Make sure street numbers outside your home can easily be seen, both day and night.
  • Create a routine of ensuring escape routes are clear of tripping hazards or potential obstacles before going to sleep each night.
  • Sleeping with the door closed slows the spread of smoke, heat, and fire.

Plan

  • Involve all members of the home.
  • Draw a map of each level of the home, showing all doors and windows.
  • When possible, identify two ways out of every room and two ways out of your home.
  • Teach children to escape on their own in case an adult cannot get to them. Make sure they can open windows, remove screens, and unlock doors.
  • Plan for everyone in the home, including those who are unable to exit on their own, including babies, older adults, and individuals with disabilities.
  • Identify an outside meeting place in the front of the home at a safe distance, something permanent such as a tree or mailbox. Make sure everyone knows where the meeting place is and to go there if they hear the smoke alarm.
  • Ensure everyone knows how to call 9-1-1 from a mobile phone or trusted neighbor's phone and that they know the address of the home.

Practice

  • Push the smoke alarm to start the drill.
  • Encourage everyone to get low under smoke and get out as quickly as possible.
  • Try to get everyone out of the home in two minutes or less. Consider having a timer available to see how long it takes to escape.
  • Practice using different ways out.
  • Remind everyone to close doors behind them as they leave.
  • Go to the outside meeting place.
  • In the event of an actual fire, remember to get out quickly and stay out. Never go back inside for people, pets, or things.

Media Resources

Fire Prevention Month social media package: Home Escape Planning Video - NFPA

Handouts

The OSFM created a 2022 Fire Prevention Month supplies kit for Oregon fire agencies (available while supplies last).

Each kit includes:

  • 150 mini timers to encourage people to practice their 2-minute drill
  • 150 lollipops
  • 150 coffee sleeves
  • 150 “I'm planning my home fire escape" stickers
  • 150 fire safety randomizers
  • 150 Home Fire Escape Prepare, Plan, and Practice handouts
  • Acrylic display stand with QR image and giveaway opportunity

We encourage partners to display the QR code at events and encourage participants to complete a quick survey to enter for a chance to win an OSFM Bigfoot shirt and hat. Request a kit.

The OSFM has a variety of other printed material available by request. Each resource comes in packs of 50 and is free of charge to Oregon fire agencies. Request materials here.

Printable Resources

This checklist provides action items for new parents or families living with small children in their home. Caretakers are encouraged to complete the checklist to increase safety throughout the living environment. Home Safety Checklist (English/Spanish)

Interactive booklet for school age children to learn about home escape planning and work with their families to be prepared if a home fire occurs:

Guide to Home Escape Planning for Kids: English and Spanish

Fun activity used to make a game of home escape planning. This airplane includes important home escape planning messages and when folded, families can follow the airplane through exits and toward a family meeting place. Home Escape Planning Folding Paper Airplane

Community Event Resources

This document provides guidance and messaging for Oregon's fire service when participating in fire prevention education in schools. From pre-k to high school, this tool has something for all age groups. It is a helpful resource when hosting an education tabling event. Classroom and Community Events Guide

The National Fire Prevention Association created a series of resources that are free and available to support your fire prevention efforts. NFPA Fire Prevention Week Toolkit

The U.S. Fire Administration has a series to support home escape planning and fire prevention, including pictographs with graphic images to model home escape planning. Pictographs from USFA

Classroom and Teacher Resources

PreK- 2nd Grade: 'Learn Not to Burn' is a series of lessons that provide age-appropriate prevention education to children from pre-k through 2nd grade. Educators can download these lessons, free of charge, in both English and Spanish. Learn Not to Burn

2nd-3rd Grade: This kit includes everything a teacher and fire service educator needs to teach 2nd and 3rd grade students about fire safety importance. From handouts and parent letters to digital whiteboard activities and storybooks, this program allows educators to dive right into Fire Prevention Month. SoundOff with the Home Fire Safety Patrol

The NFPA compiled a collection of resources to support parents, educators, and fire service professionals in their prevention efforts. Sparky's School House

Kahoot!

NFPA Kids has created four Kahoot's for an interactive tool in the classroom while testing and reinforcing important fire prevention education. NFPA Kid's interactive classroom fire safety education in partnership with Kahoot! Academy!

Downloadable Materials

Fire Safety Randomizer: English | Spanish

FPM 2022 Brochure

In support of the theme of National Fire Prevention Week, “Serving Up Fire Safety in the Kitchen", Oregon's fire and life safety agencies are encouraged to inform, educate, and motivate residents to focus on practicing safe fire behavior in the kitchen throughout the month of October.

This includes encouraging Oregon's residents to use these cooking fire safety tips:

  • Keep an eye on what you're cooking and don't leave cooking unattended.
  • Keep your cooking areas clean and clear of combustibles (potholders, food packaging, towels, etc.) and wipe up surface spills.
  • Create a three-foot kid- and pet-free zone around the stove.
  • Older children should only cook with permission and with an adult.
  • Have a lid or cookie sheet within reach while cooking (to smother flames) in case of a fire.

Safety tips for if a cooking fire does start:

  • Put a lid on it! Slide a lid over the pan (from the side) and then turn off the burner.
  • Don't move the pan until the fire is completely extinguished and cooled, and don't try to transfer the pan to the sink.

If you cannot extinguish the fire:

  • Get everyone out of the house.
  • If you can, close doors as you are escaping, to help contain the fire.
  • Call 911 from a safe place (outside).

Informational Materials

Additional Resources