The Nome Nugget

FIRE PREVENTION WEEK-OCTOBER 3 TO 9

Fire, the Fifth Horseman with his flaming torch, sowing death and destruction, has joined the four horsemen of classical fame--War, Famine, Pestilence, and Death. Throughout America, fire is a constant menace-everywhere, day and night. Its toll is close to 11,000 lives a year- men, women and children burned to death and killed by its deadly gases. Another 50,000 persons suffer painful and crippling burns. And in addition, fire destroys over $700,000,000 annually in homes, factories, stores, schools, churches, warehouses, farms and forests.

Every life lost is a tragic, economic blow to one of the nation's families. And it follows that no nation, even one as amply endowed with the natural resources, the invested wealth, the economic stability and skilled "know-how" we now enjoy, can continue to absorb, without permanent impairment, the disastrous and preventable scourge of fire. Lives and property destroyed by fire are gone forever.

Whose Job Is It?

In a democracy, such as ours, it is easy to say that the responsibility for fire safety rests with state and municipal officials elected or appointed for that purpose. This is not enough. The President's Conference on Fire Prevention, held a year ago last May, determined among other things that "acceptance by the highest state and municipal officials of their direct responsibility for fire safety requires organized public support from all possible sources, and a greater sense of responsibility on the part of every citizen."

Therefore, the responsibility is yours and mine.

Organizing A Local Fire Safety Committee

If a fire safety committee has not been formed in your community, now is the time to promote a fire safety committee within each group or segment in your community.

Nearly every man, woman and youth in the nation is a member of some organization,--such as a veterans' post, service club, women's club, insurance agents' association, Scout troop, fraternity or church. One individual, entirely on his own, may do a good job of preaching fire safety, but he will make a very small dent in the wall of public indifference. By using this same drive and effort among the members of his own group, he may be able to organize a fire prevention committee. A representative of that committee can work with members of similar committees of other groups, and eventually a working community fire safety committee will evolve.

Since last year, scores of effective community fire safety committees have been organized as a result of the recommendation of the President's Conference on Fire Prevention.