ROCKINGHAM — Multiple first responder agencies and other vendors are teaming up for a fire prevention event this weekend.
The Richmond County Chiefs Association is hosting the event at Freedom Baptist Church in Rockingham on Saturday, Oct. 19. There will be fire prevention activities from 5-7 p.m. and a trunk-or treat from 7-9 p.m.
The National Fire Protection Association has been sponsoring Fire Prevention Week for more than a century, and it was proclaimed a national observance by then-President Calvin Coolidge in 1925.
“Fire Prevention Week is observed each year during the week of October 9th in commemoration of the Great Chicago Fire, which began on October 8, 1871, and caused devastating damage,” reads a page at nfpa.org. “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.”
Officially, Fire Prevention Week wrapped up on Oct. 15.
Participating agencies for this weekend’s event are: the East Rockingham, Cordova, Hoffman, Derby, Northside and Hamlet fire departments; Rockingham and Ellerbe rescue squads; Richmond County Sheriff’s Office; Richmond County Emergency Services; the N.C. State Highway Patrol; and the N.C. Forest Service.
Other participants include Lee’s Collision Repair, Tedder Trash Solutions, Arlo’s Wrecker Service and Cooke Boys Septic Services.
The Rockingham Fire Department held a fire prevention event earlier this month.
