Fire Prevention Week 2024 Teaching Resources

Prep for National Fire Prevention Week 2024 in the classroom with printable fire prevention activities, worksheets and more. These fire safety teacher resources were created by teachers like you to make fire prevention an easy addition to your lesson plans this October!

Each printable worksheet, classroom activity and bulletin board was created by a teacher with teachers in mind. And to give you extra peace of mind, the expert teachers on the Teach Starter teacher team have gone over every resource to ensure it's ready for the classroom and your students! Your class will learn the fire safety know-how they need to stay safe, plus brush up on important information about community helpers in the fire service!

October is Fire Safety Month, which means hundreds of schools around the country will be bringing firefighters into the schools and exploring the emergency services with their students. Is this your first foray into teaching kids about fire safety in the classroom? If this is the first time you're observing Fire Prevention Week, don't worry! Our teacher team has done your homework for you!

What Is Fire Prevention Week?

Fire Prevention Week is always held during October to coincide with Fire Prevention Month (also called Fire Safety Month!). Each year, teachers and children nationwide gather to talk about fire safety in the schools and at home in what is now the nation's longest-running public health observance.

Teaching social studies? You may want to mention to your students that this observation has some serious history behind it. The first Fire Prevention Week was held in 1922 to commemorate the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. The tragic fire burned for two days, destroyed over 17,000 structures and claimed the lives of more than 250 people.

To honor the lives lost and prevent future fires of its kind, Presidential Calvin Coolidge officially declared the first National Fire Prevention Week  in 1925.

The National Fire Protection Association® (NFPA) now runs the event annually to help educate our kids about fire safety, run emergency drills and more!

When Is Fire Prevention Week 2024?

For more than 100 years, this safety-focused week has been marked in October — specifically, it's now held during the week in which October 9 falls in both the United States and Canada.

That means National Fire Prevention Week will be held from Sun, Oct 6, 2024 – Sat, Oct 12, 2024.

What Is the Fire Prevention Week 2024 Theme?

Each year, a theme is chosen for the week by the NFPA to provide fire departments and teachers with ideas to educate kids. The 2024 theme is "Smoke alarms: Make them work for you!™"

The focus is on educating students about the importance of having working smoke alarms in the home. There's also an opportunity to talk to your students about where smoke alarms should be installed in the home and that they meet the needs of all family members, including those with sensory or physical disabilities.

Past Fire Prevention Week Themes

Some of the past Fire Prevention Week themes may give you additional ideas for activities in your classroom!

• "Look. Listen. Learn. Be aware. Fire can happen anywhere." (2018)
• "Hear the beep where you sleep. Every bedroom needs a working smoke alarm." (2017)
• "Don't wait - check the date! Replace smoke alarms every 10 years." (2016)
• "Working Smoke Alarms Save Lives: Test Yours Every Month!" (2015)