Allenton, WI – As the fire service in the U.S.A. prepares to observe the 2024 Fire Prevention Week, they urge everyone to take time to remember.
Fire Prevention Week is observed each year during the week of October 9 in commemoration of the Great Chicago Fire, which began on October 8, 1871, and caused devastating damage.
This horrific conflagration killed more than 250 people, left 100,000 homeless, destroyed more than 17,400 structures, and burned more than 2,000 acres of land. Also, on the same day in the same year a more devastating fire occurred here in Wisconsin in the Peshtigo area.
The fire destroyed 1.2 million acres and estimated 2,500 people perished. The total area burned was twice the size of Rhode Island. At the same time these two fires occurred, there was the Great Michigan Fire.
It is thought that these three fires occurred because of extremely dry weather conditions combined with strong winds over the entire Midwest. Both fires started on October 8 and intensified on October 9.
This year the Allenton Volunteer Fire Department and St. Lawrence Fire Company will kick off the week with an Open House and Pancake Breakfast event at the Allenton Fire Station (431 Railroad Street) on Sunday, October 6.
Food will be served from 8 a.m. until 12 noon. The menu includes Pancakes, Scrambled eggs, Gehring’s Meat Market breakfast sausages, applesauce along with milk, coffee or orange juice. Tickets are $8/per person, kids 6 and under are free. Advance sale tickets get you a coupon for a sub at Allenton Subway and are available at Zuern Building Products, Elle Salon, Farmers Implement and Farmers Grain & Feed.
There will be some very interesting demonstrations planned during the morning. Some of which are a live fire being extinguished by a sprinkler system, demonstration using a Staysafe fire extinguisher for a grease fire and Lithium-Ion battery fires. In addition teenagers and adults will have an opportunity to use a REAL fire extinguisher on a fire.
Returning this year will be the Replica Rescue 51 truck from the TV show-EMERGENCY. This unit is a replica to the one used in the show and was built by a Grand Rapids Firefighter, Paul Reber. Also returning is the Pink Heals-Sheboygan County fire truck. Kids and adults can go through the Survive Alive house and practice spraying water on a simulated “small house fire.”
As in the past there will be a scavenger hunt for kids and adults to do. The hunt will have the participants looking for equipment used, clothing firefighters wear and apparatus features. The departments will be handing out door prizes every ½ hour for adults and kids.
