Firefighting Week (Fire Prevention Week)

Firefighting Week (Fire Prevention Week) is a national awareness week held annually in Türkiye between September 25 and October 1 to strengthen the culture of fire safety, enhance preparedness before disasters, and increase public visibility of the firefighting organization’s duties, authorities, and responsibilities.

The week focuses on preventing fires and promoting appropriate behaviors during a fire; as such, government institutions, local administrations, educational institutions, civil society organizations, and the media coordinate their outreach and educational activities. The scope is not limited to schools alone; measures for homes, workplaces, public buildings, and communal living areas are addressed within a comprehensive framework.

The central objective of activities during the week is to strengthen the first two stages of the prevention–preparedness–response cycle. Within this framework, emphasis is placed on the use of smoke detection and alarm systems, the development and practical testing of fire evacuation plans for homes and institutions, knowledge of fire classes and extinguishing agents, understanding of the fire triangle, flashover and backdraft, reducing risks from kitchen and electrical sources, and planning for differentiated safety needs of the elderly, children, persons with disabilities, and pets.

While municipal firefighting units organize training sessions, open-air demonstrations, station visits, and information booths, vocational and technical schools and universities produce content through seminars, workshops, and practical training. Civil society organizations contribute to the process by providing guidance materials and public awareness campaigns on building safety, insulation, and regulatory compliance.

Firefighting Week is designed to respond to current risk perceptions and societal needs through changing themes each year. This thematic approach serves to enhance individual and institutional preparedness, encourage proper equipment use, promote the principle that “prevention is easier than suppression,” and support the institutionalization of disaster management at the local level. Thus, the week offers an educational and practical framework that goes beyond showcasing the operational capacity of firefighting organizations, aiming instead to build a sustainable culture of fire safety across society.

History

The origins of firefighting organization, one of the institutional components of urban safety in the Ottoman period, are traced back to the Tulumbacılar Ocağı, which is recognized in literature as having been institutionalized as early as 1714. The exact founding date of the first modern firefighting unit in the Republic era has not been definitively established. Therefore, the anniversary of the establishment of Republican Fire Departments on September 25, 1923, has been adopted as the basis for commemorations and awareness activities. As a result, the last week of September was designated as “Firefighting Week.” However, this practice experienced interruptions after the 1960s.

In the early 1970s, Ankara Fire Chief Baki Akansel, in cooperation with the Commission for Protection Against Accidents and Fires under the Council of Ministers, revived the week under the name “Fire Prevention Week.” Proposals to align the date with the founding anniversary of the Istanbul Fire Department and to rename it “Firefighting Week” were also introduced. These celebrations in Ankara lasted approximately thirteen years but did not achieve the same continuity nationwide.

In the modern era, the institutional scope of the week was reestablished in Istanbul in 1990. Within this framework, a broad program was implemented between September 24 and October 1, 1990, including exhibitions, panels, open-air demonstrations, the “Tulumbacılar Team Demonstration,” station events, and school visits. This initiative introduced to the public that firefighting services extend beyond fire suppression to include rescue and educational functions.

In subsequent years, through the regular activities of municipalities and professional organizations, the week evolved into a collaborative awareness platform involving local administrations and educational institutions. In current practice, celebrations held between September 25 and October 1 continue, accompanied by annual thematic educational programs.

Objective and Scope

The primary objective of Firefighting Week is to prevent fires and raise the level of preparedness for potential fire incidents. Within this framework, the week aims to enable individuals and institutions to identify risks, learn how to use appropriate equipment, and practice appropriate behavioral responses during a fire.

The target audience is not limited to students; it encompasses all segments of society including youth, adults, the elderly, persons with disabilities, and households with pets. The broad scope requires a multi-actor approach that addresses fire safety culture from education and home safety to workplace practices and public space management. Activities during the week are organized around three pillars:

1. Awareness and education: In schools, public institutions, and open-air events, the fire triangle, stages of fire (ignition, development, extinction), flashover and backdraft are introduced; participants are taught how to develop fire evacuation plans for homes and workplaces, and how to correctly position and periodically inspect smoke detection and alarm systems.

2. Drills and application: Evacuation drills are conducted in buildings; fire extinguisher classes and proper usage techniques are demonstrated practically; routines to reduce risks from kitchens, electricity, and natural gas—such as cleaning, maintenance, and proper appliance use according to instructions—are reinforced.

3. Institutional cooperation and outreach: Municipal firefighting units, vocational and technical schools, universities, and civil society organizations implement joint programs; public demonstrations, station visits, exhibitions, and panels translate technical knowledge into everyday practice. Guidance materials are produced on building safety, thermal–acoustic–fire insulation, and informative campaigns are conducted through media channels.

Ultimately, all these educational efforts converge around the principle that “prevention is easier than suppression.” The goal is to reduce risks at their source, standardize preparations for early warning and rapid, safe evacuation, and translate personal and institutional responsibilities into concrete actions. Thus, the week aims not only to increase the operational visibility of firefighting organizations but also to build a lasting culture of fire safety.

Commemorations and Activities

Activities during Firefighting Week encompass public awareness and outreach events as well as institutional and inter-institutional practical training and drills. Joint programs organized by municipal firefighting units, educational institutions, and civil society organizations highlight station visits, equipment demonstrations, open-air displays, and child-oriented workshops. School visits educate students on personal safety, the dangers of smoke, and proper evacuation behavior; sessions for adults address fire risks in homes and workplaces, classifications and correct usage techniques of extinguishers, and methods to reduce risks from electricity and natural gas.

Throughout the week, fire and evacuation drills are conducted in many institutions. These drills follow the sequence of alarm–evacuation–assembly–roll call; fundamental principles such as the use of stairs and corridors, accessibility of emergency exits, and the prohibition of elevators are reinforced. In practical segments, principles of safe intervention during initial-stage fires, the fire triangle, flashover and backdraft, warning signs, and the logic of ventilation and gas cooling in confined spaces are explained. Technical reminders are provided to health and safety personnel on the effects of smoke, the limitations of personal protective equipment (masks, gloves, clothing), and their correct usage.

In public events, sample diagrams and simple checklists for developing fire evacuation plans are shared: placement and testing intervals of smoke detection–alarm systems, types, locations, and maintenance of extinguishers, marking of electrical panels and gas shut-off valves, and designation of assembly points are made concrete. Demonstrations on kitchen-related risks emphasize the dangers of using water on grease fires, the practice of covering pots and cutting off energy, and the creation of “risk-free cooking zones” in households with young children.

Civil society organizations and professional associations contribute through guidance documents, brochures, and information booths on building safety and insulation; municipalities run public awareness campaigns through media and social media aligned with the annual theme. Some programs include representative demonstrations highlighting historical continuity, such as reenactments of early firefighting methods; museums and exhibitions present the evolution of firefighting organizations, equipment development, and their role in urban life through visual materials.

At the local level, the week is typically planned around daily themes: home safety and family action plans, drills and awareness in educational institutions, risk assessments and extinguisher training in workplaces, evacuation trials in public buildings, open-air demonstrations, and station “open house” days. This framework aims to generate accessible content tailored to diverse groups including children, the elderly, and persons with disabilities by expanding participant profiles.

Current Educational and Awareness Initiatives

Education and awareness form the backbone of the week, aiming to create behavioral change along the prevention–preparedness axis. Programs are designed across a wide spectrum—from preschool to high school, from public institutions to the private sector and households—with content tailored to age and risk groups. Core learning outcomes include understanding the physical basis of fire (the fire triangle), recognizing fire stages and warning signs (particularly flashover and backdraft risks), knowing safe intervention principles for initial-stage fires, correctly installing and periodically testing smoke detection–alarm systems, developing and testing fire evacuation plans, and reducing risks from electricity, natural gas, and kitchens.

Activities in schools combine short classroom presentations with practical workshops. Rules such as the behavior of smoke, crouching during evacuation, reaching the assembly point, roll call, prohibition of elevator use, and following emergency exit signs are reinforced through visual materials. Checklists for a “home safety action plan” are prepared for students and parents. Concrete steps such as identifying two escape routes from every room, designating an assembly point, marking the locations of electrical circuit breakers, gas shut-off valves, and fire extinguishers, and noting testing intervals and battery replacement dates for smoke detectors are implemented as classroom activities. Children are repeatedly reminded not to hide under beds or in closets during a fire, not to return for toys, to check door handles and surfaces for heat, and to stay low in smoky environments.

Training in institutions and workplaces begins with risk assessment and equipment competency. Appropriate selection and practical use of extinguishers for initial fires—pulling the safety pin, directing the nozzle, using short sweeping motions, and maintaining safe approach distances—are demonstrated. Periodic maintenance records for electrical panels, extension cords and outlet loads, cleaning of greasy kitchen surfaces, thermostat use in deep fryers, permit and supervision procedures for hot work, and ensuring order, segregation, and clear escape routes in storage areas are integrated into institutional guidelines. Drill scenarios are diversified to account for different floor plans, working hours, and accessibility for persons with disabilities.

In household-focused communication, accessible solutions for high-risk groups are prioritized. For the elderly and persons with hearing or visual impairments, visual or vibration-based alarm devices are promoted; “helper persons” are assigned for those unable to evacuate alone; spare keys and medication kits are strategically placed; and practices for pet evacuation and night drills are encouraged. Kitchen safety is treated as a separate module. Principles such as never using water on grease fires, smothering with a lid, cutting off energy, monitoring oil levels in pans and fryers, positioning flammable materials away from heat sources, and creating a “safe cooking zone” of one meter for young children are demonstrated practically.

Civil society organizations and professional associations contribute to the process through guidance documents and information booths on building safety and insulation; municipal firefighting units convey equipment and response procedures to the public through station visits and open-air demonstrations. Communication materials (brochures, posters, short videos, radio and social media spots) are developed with simple, repeatable messages aligned to a single annual theme, taking into account different languages and literacy levels.

Finally, the measurement and evaluation dimension of education is not overlooked. Reports are generated after drills using criteria such as duration, organization, and accessibility; corrective actions are scheduled for deficiencies such as locked emergency exits, blocked stairways, or malfunctioning alarms. Annual maintenance and drill schedules are created for households and institutions; extinguisher maintenance, detector battery replacement, evacuation plan updates, and personnel/student training cycles are standardized within this calendar. Thus, the activities of the week aim to transform from one-time campaigns into a sustained culture of safety.