[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 35, Number 40 (Monday, October 11, 1999)]
[Pages 1890-1891]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Proclamation 7231--Fire Prevention Week, 1999

October 1, 1999

By the President of the United States

of America

A Proclamation

    Of the many disasters that affect our communities in a given year, 
fire is one that Americans can actually prevent; and, through early 
warning and appropriate response, we can minimize the havoc fire wreaks 
when it

[[Page 1891]]

does occur. In 1998, U.S. fire departments responded to nearly 1.8 
million fires, with three-quarters of them occurring in residences. Fire 
cost our Nation some $8.6 billion in property loss last year, and it 
took a staggering human toll: more than 4,000 civilians died, and 91 
firefighters lost their lives in the line of duty.
    The place where Americans feel safest--at home--is the very place 
where we are at greatest risk from fire. Eighty percent of all U.S. fire 
deaths occur at home. If Americans knew more about fire prevention and 
better understood how to react quickly and sensibly when fire breaks 
out, we could greatly reduce such deaths.
    Because knowledge of simple fire safety precautions is so vital to 
saving lives, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) launched a 
3-year initiative to teach the importance of planning and practicing how 
to escape from fire. In partnership with the Federal Emergency 
Management Agency, through its United States Fire Administration, and 
our Nation's fire services, NFPA has again selected, ``Fire Drills: The 
Great Escape!'' as the theme of this year's Fire Prevention Week.
    Fire spreads quickly, making a fast response essential to survival. 
I urge every family to develop a home fire escape plan and to practice 
it at least twice a year. The elements of a good plan include installing 
working smoke alarms on every level of the home, establishing two ways 
out of each room, and establishing a meeting place outside the home.
    Each of us can take these simple steps to plan and practice our own 
``great escape'' from fire and significantly improve our chance of 
survival if fire occurs. By doing so, we can pay fitting tribute to the 
selfless service of our Nation's firefighters. The extraordinary 
personal sacrifice made by firefighters throughout America, and the 
dedication of all men and women who serve in our Nation's fire services, 
will be honored on Sunday, October 10, 1999, at the National Fallen 
Firefighters Memorial Service in Emmitsburg, Maryland.
    Now, Therefore, I, William J. Clinton, President of the United 
States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the 
Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim October 3 
through October 9, 1999, as Fire Prevention Week. I encourage the people 
of the United States to take an active role in fire prevention not only 
during this week, but also throughout the year. I also call upon every 
citizen to pay tribute to the members of our fire and emergency services 
who have lost their lives or been injured in service to their 
communities, and to those men and women who carry on their noble 
tradition.
    In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this first day of 
October, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety-nine, and 
of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and 
twenty-fourth.
                                            William J. Clinton

[Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 8:45 a.m., October 6, 
1999]

Note: This proclamation was published in the Federal Register on October 
7. This item was not received in time for publication in the appropriate 
issue.