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Public Safety
Keep the Wreath Green encourages fire awareness during the holidays By JUDE STRIEBY | The Municipal
F
ire has been both a tool that drove human prosperity to heights before unknown, and yet also harbored destructive capability. Consider the Great Library of Alexandria, which burned to the ground, its vast halls of ancient knowledge destroyed with it; the Great Fire of London in the 1660s, which took out almost everything in the city; or closer to home, the Great Fire of Chicago, which lost Mrs. O’Leary far more than her cow. The disastrous urban fires of the past were an incentive for towns to create dedicated fire brigades. Over time, better ways of getting water to a blaze were invented, moving well beyond a line of men passing buckets of water. Eventually, the modern fire departments were established and are only a phone call away. Today, most urban fires are nowhere near as devastating to such a wide swath of property and life as they were in the past. Still, fire holds the ability to adversely impact the lives of families and communities. According to the National Fire Protection Association, there are multiple fire hazards far more prevalent between Thanksgiving and New Year than at any other time. The fires resulting from these dangers are both costly and deadly. Since preventing fires is
During the monthlong campaign, 5-foot wreaths will be on display at five city fire stations and 18 county fire stations in the area surrounding Pensacola. Each time firefighters respond to a residential fire with damage, a green bulb will be replaced with a red one to remind citizens of the dangers posed by fires in residential homes. (Photo provided by Pensacola, Fla.)
42 THE MUNICIPAL | DECEMBER 2021
