Get ready to fire up your safety game during Fire Prevention Week, October 3–10! This year, we’re focusing on lithium-ion battery safety and how you can help prevent fires involving the batteries that power many of the devices we use every day.
Join Albemarle County Fire Rescue for a week packed with fun events, hands-on activities, demonstrations, and fire safety education for the whole family! Check out our full schedule below or visit www.albemarle.org/calendar to find event details and download the 2026 Information Brochure and Scavenger Hunt Card.
We’ll kick things off at 5th Street Station on October 3 at 10 a.m., then bring fire prevention activities to communities across the county throughout the week. We’ll wrap up Fire Prevention Week with a Grand Finale at Hollymead Town Center on October 10! Come explore fire trucks, participate in hands-on activities, learn about lithium-ion battery safety, and pick up practical tips to help keep your home and family safe.
| Schedule of Events Saturday, October 3: 10 am – 2 pm: Kickoff Event at 5th Street Station Monday, October 5: 11:30 am – 1 pm: Storefront Event at the Crossroads Store Wednesday, October 7: 11:30 am – 1 pm: Storefront Event at IGA Crozet 6 pm – 7:30 pm: Touch-a-truck at Old Trail Community Friday, October 9: 8 am – 10 am: Storefront Event at The Market Saturday, October 10: 10 am – 2 pm: Grand Finale at Hollymead Town Center |
Since 1922, the National Fire Prevention Association (NFPA) has sponsored the public observance of Fire Prevention Week. In 1925, President Calvin Coolidge proclaimed Fire Prevention Week a national observance, making it the longest-running public health observance in our country. During Fire Prevention Week, children, adults, and teachers learn how to stay safe in case of a fire. Firefighters provide lifesaving public education in an effort to drastically decrease casualties caused by fires.
Fire Prevention Week is observed each year during the week of October 9th in commemoration of the Great Chicago Fire, which began on October 8, 1871, and caused devastating damage. This horrific conflagration killed more than 250 people, left 100,000 homeless, destroyed more than 17,400 structures, and burned more than 2,000 acres of land.
