Legend has it that Mrs. O’Leary’s cow kicked over a lantern and started what became known as the Great Chicago Fire.

Whether a cow had anything to do with it remains unknown, but there is no doubt that a massive fire started in Chicago on Oct. 8, 1871, and burned through Oct. 9, 1871. The blaze killed about 250 people, left 100,000 other people homeless and destroyed more than 17,400 buildings.

Determined to prevent another such conflagration and reduce the overall toll of fire in the United States, the National Fire Protection Association commenced the observance of Fire Prevention Week in 1922. The association declared that the week that includes Oct. 9, the worst day of the Chicago inferno, would be Fire Prevention Week. In 1925, President Calvin Coolidge proclaimed a national observance of Fire Prevention Week.

This week marks the 100th observance of Fire Prevention Week.

The theme of this year’s observance is “Fire won’t wait. Plan your escape.”

Fires spread quickly and produce tremendous amounts of smoke and toxic gases that actually kill more people than the flames do. Making a fast escape from a burning house or other building is essential to saving lives.

To make that fast escape, people need an early warning, especially at night, that there is a fire. There’s nothing better at providing that early warning than working smoke detectors. At a minimum there should be a smoke detector in every bedroom in the house or apartment. Additional smoke detectors throughout the home are even better.

To ensure that those smoke detectors keep working, make sure they have fresh batteries. For smoke detectors that use conventional nine volt batteries, installing new ones every time you change your clock for Daylight Savings Time is a good habit.

To plan your escape, identify two potential ways to get out of every room. They can be doors or windows.

Your local firefighters can provide a lot more information on how to prevent fires from starting and how to escape if one does start. We encourage everyone to take a few minutes to learn something that could save their life and the lives of their families.