Fire Prevention Week, 2013 - Historical Half-Staff Archive

Historical notice: this observance has ended. This independent FORTISVEX resource preserves a past presidential proclamation; it is not a government notice.

Prevention and remembrance in one proclamation

President Obama's Fire Prevention Week proclamation links household preparedness with respect for firefighters. It asks Americans to reduce preventable dangers while honoring first responders who risk their lives for others. The final paragraph makes a specific flag provision for the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Service.

The document discusses cooking, electrical appliances, heating, wildfire preparation, smoke detectors, and evacuation plans. Those passages are preserved below as the President's 2013 wording. This historical article does not turn dated statistics or safety statements into independently verified current guidance.

The week and the half-staff day are different

Fire Prevention Week ran from October 6 through October 12, 2013. The proclamation's half-staff provision applies to Sunday, October 6, at all federal office buildings, in accordance with Public Law 107–51. It does not direct a week-long half-staff display or state that the specific federal-building provision applies to every private property.

The broader call invites all Americans to participate in appropriate programs and activities and renew their prevention efforts. That invitation and the federal office-building flag provision should be read according to their own wording. The proclamation does not specify a numerical start or end hour for the flag observance. Compare other dated notices in the Presidential Half-Staff Archive.

October 4 is the formal document date used for this archive entry. October 6 is the designated half-staff day, and October 16 is the Federal Register publication date. The publication occurred after the named week; it does not change the observance dates printed in the proclamation.

Full official proclamation text

Proclamation 9034 of October 4, 2013 — Fire Prevention Week, 2013
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation

Fires take more American lives than all other natural disasters combined. They inflict devastating tolls on families and communities, and they cost our Nation billions of dollars each year. During Fire Prevention Week, we pay tribute to the brave men and women who put their lives on the line to pull their neighbors out of harm’s way, and pledge to do our part to prevent fires in our homes, our cities, and the great outdoors.

We all have a responsibility to protect our families against fire. We should be cautious while cooking, using electrical appliances, and heating our homes. Those who live in areas prone to wildfires can help safeguard their homes by clearing flammable vegetation, and they should plan for emergencies by building a supply kit and talking with their families about a communications plan and evacuation routes. Every American should install working smoke detectors on each level of their home and remember to test them monthly. It is also essential to develop and practice evacuation plans twice a year. Because fire spreads rapidly and poisonous, disorienting smoke moves even quicker, families should design plans that allow for the quickest possible exit. To learn more about taking precautions against fires, visit www.Ready.gov.

By preventing fires, we can both protect our loved ones and keep America’s firefighters out of unnecessary danger. To save people they have never met, these skilled professionals battle walls of flame, put themselves in the paths of unpredictable wildfires, and rush into houses on the verge of collapse. This week, as we renew our commitment to fire safety, we thank these courageous first responders for their service and honor those who have made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States do hereby proclaim October 6 through October 12, 2013, as Fire Prevention Week. On Sunday, October 6, 2013, in accordance with Public Law 107–51, the flag of the United States will be flown at half-staff at all Federal office buildings in honor of the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Service. I call on all Americans to participate in this observance with appropriate programs and activities and by renewing their efforts to prevent fires and their tragic consequences.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this fourth day of October, in the year of our Lord two thousand thirteen, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-eighth.

BARACK OBAMA

Official federal proclamation text from Federal Register pages 62305–62306. Page headings and line wrapping are omitted for readability; the signature is represented by the name above.

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Signature page from the official published proclamation

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Preparing a remembrance display

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