International Firefighters' Day (IFFD) is
observed on
May 4
Events Pre-1600
* 1256 – The Augustinian monastic order is constituted at the Lecceto Monastery when Pope Alexander IV issues a papal bull ''Licet ecclesiae catholicae''.
* 1415 – Religious reformers John Wycliffe and Jan Hus ar ...
. It was instituted after a proposal was made on January 4, 1999, following the deaths of five
firefighters in tragic circumstances in a
bushfire in Australia.
The incident
On December 2, 1998, firefighters of the Geelong West Fire Brigade responded to a call for aid from Linton, in the Australian state of Victoria. A sudden change of wind direction led to the death in a bushfire of five Geelong West firefighters: Garry Vredeveldt, Chris Evans, Stuart Davidson, Jason Thomas, and Matthew Armstrong. This incident led to the proposal for an International Firefighters' Day.
Red/Blue Ribbon
One of the symbols of International Firefighters' Day is a red and blue lapel ribbon. This ribbon is five centimeters long and one centimeter wide, with the two separate colors conjoined at the top. The red of the ribbon represents fire while the blue represents water. The ribbon is traditionally worn on the lapel but is not limited to the lapel.
St. Florian
Saint Florian
Florian ( la, Florianus; 250 – 304 AD) was a Christian holy man, and the patron saint of Linz, Austria; chimney sweeps; soapmakers, and firefighters. His feast day is 4 May. Florian is also the patron saint of Upper Austria, jointly with Le ...
, regarded in the Catholic Church as the patron saint of firefighters,
is another symbol of International Firefighters' Day. The saint's day (as observed in the Catholic Church) of St. Florian is 4 May, hence International Firefighters' Day is also observed on May 4.
Promotion of fire prevention and fire training
Fire prevention
Fire prevention is a function of many fire departments. The goal of fire prevention is to educate the public on the precautions which should be taken to prevent potentially harmful fires and how to survive these fires in the event that they do o ...
and the need for more intensive and thorough training is promoted through International Firefighters' Day, and the day is seen as an important opportunity to raise both skills and awareness.
Statistics
In 2009, ninety line of duty deaths were recorded amongst firefighters in the
United States of America
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territo ...
; forty-seven of these being volunteers, thirty-six being career firefighters, and seven being part of a wild land agency. In 2009, sixteen firefighters died fighting wild land fires (which is how the five firefighters from Linton died). In 2009, a total of 3,010 civilians died in fires. There were a calculated 1.3 million fires in 2009 which resulted in $12.5 billion in direct property loss. In 2009, there were also a total of 78,792 wildfires which burned an estimated .
Firefighter and support workers service
Even though International Firefighters' Day commemorates those who have died in the line of duty, the day also marks lifetime service given both by firefighters and by all those who support fire emergency services.
See also
*
Firefighting
*
Women in firefighting
Firefighting has historically been a predominantly male profession throughout the world. However, since the 1970s, women have made inroads in both professional and volunteer fire departments in multiple countries. In modern times, women have serve ...
References
* Diamantes, David. Fire Prevention: Inspection and Code Enforcement. 3rd ed. Cliffton Park, NY: Thomson Delmar Learning, 2007. Print
* Facts About Wind and Wildfires. The Weather Channel Interactive, Inc, 2010. Web. 15 October 2010.
* International Firefighters’ Day. IFFD.NET, 2006. Web. 15 October 2010.
* Klinoff, Robert. Introduction to Fire Protection. 3rd ed. Cliffton Park, NY: Delmar Cengage Learning, 2007. Print.
* The Origins of International Firefighters’ Day. Newcastle Events, 2010. Web. 15 October 2010.
* United States. U.S. Fire Administration. Fire Statistics. Sept 2010. U.S. Fire Administration. Web. 15 October 2010.
External links
IFFD site
{{fire fighting
Fire service awards and honors
Firefighting
International observances
May observances