Lawrence Township’s three volunteer fire companies are coming together to celebrate Fire Prevention Week starting with an open house at each of the three fire companies.
The open houses are set for Oct. 9 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Lawrenceville, Lawrence Road and Slackwood volunteer fire companies. There will be free food, music, displays and safety demonstrations, plus tours of the firehouses.
Fire Prevention Week runs from Oct. 9-15.
Dubbed “The Blaze and the Brave,” the daylong celebration kicks off with a fire extinguisher demonstration at the Slackwood Fire Co. at 10:30 a.m., 21 Slack Ave. in the Slackwood neighborhood.
At noon, the Lawrence Road Fire Co. will showcase its smokehouse for training at its firehouse at 1252 Lawrence Road, across the street from St. Ann’s Catholic Church.
The Lawrenceville Fire Co. will offer a rescue equipment demonstration at 1 p.m. at its firehouse at 64 Phillips Ave. in the village of Lawrenceville.
The three volunteer fire companies have long histories in Lawrence Township.
The Slackwood Fire Co., which is the oldest of the three volunteer fire companies, was organized by neighborhood residents in 1907.
It was soon followed by the Lawrence Road Fire Co. in 1914, organized by residents who lived in the Eldridge Park neighborhood and those who lived on Lawrence Road.
The Lawrenceville Fire Co. was organized in 1915 by residents who lived in the village of Lawrenceville, across Main Street from The Lawrenceville School.
National Fire Prevention Week, which is sponsored by the National Fire Protection Association, is celebrating its 100th anniversary, according to www.nfpa.org. The goal is to reach children and adults on how to stay safe in case of a fire.
National Fire Prevention Week is held during the week of Oct. 9 to commemorate the Great Chicago Fire, which occurred Oct. 8, 1871, according to www.nfpa.org. The fire killed more than 250 people, left 100,000 people homeless and destroyed more than 17,400 buildings.