Fire statistics from the state Division of Fire Safety show Trenton had 829 confirmed fires in 2014, more than any other reporting department in Mercer County.
TRENTON -- It's called Fire Prevention Week, but the Trenton Fire Department scheduled educational events for the entire month of October to reach as many children as possible.
"I believe that if you teach children, you reach the heart of the family," Fire Director Qareeb Bashir said in statement announcing the events. The director said one of his goals is to establish a more "consistent, progressive, effective and efficient" fire prevention branch for the department.
On Thursday, the department's Engine Co. 1 was at the YMCA preschool on Pennington Avenue.
Capt. Rick Bainbridge and firefighters Brendan Gurry and Jimmy J. Silva taught some fire prevention, but also displayed their gear and apparatus for the children to examine.
Fire statistics from the state Division of Fire Safety show Trenton had 829 confirmed fires in 2014, more than any other reporting fire department in Mercer County.
And in Mercer County as a whole, the leading type of fire in 2014 were cooking fires, with 790, which usually occur in the home.
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President Woodrow Wilson issued the first National Fire Prevention Day proclamation in 1920 and Fire Prevention Week has been observed since 1922 during the calendar week that October 9 falls, the organizer, the National Fire Protection Association says.
The week was established to commemorate the Great Chicago Fire, the 1871 blaze that killed more than 250 people and destroyed 17,400 structures. It began on October 8, but did most of its damage on October 9, 1871.
Any organization that would like to schedule a fire prevention event can contact the Trenton Fire Department at 609-989-4039.
Kevin Shea may be reached at kshea@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter@kevintshea. Find The Times of Trenton on Facebook.