Rome Volunteer Fire Department released its annual fire prevention week activities for the week of Oct. 6 through Oct. 13.

Activities include fire prevention education sessions at Fairland East Elementary School on Friday Oct. 11 and the annual fire prevention parade and picnic on Sunday, Oct. 13.

Parade participants will line up beginning at 1 p.m. at Old Lock 27 Park, one-half mile north of the Rome Volunteer Fire Department Station 1 on County Road 107.

The parade will kick off at 2 p.m. and travel on County Road 411 to the Lawrence County Fairgrounds.

At the fairgrounds, participants and the public can enjoy a picnic lunch. The AirEvac helicopter is also scheduled to land at the fairgrounds at approximately 2:45 p.m., weather permitting.

This year’s National Fire Prevention Week theme is “Prevent Kitchen Fires”, focusing on the leading cause of home fires and one of the leading causes of fire injuries and deaths. According to statistics compiled by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), cooking is the leading cause of home fires and home fire injuries, followed heating equipment.

Following the theme, Rome firefighters will provide an interactive prevention program to nearly 500 students and staff at Fairland East Elementary School. The education sessions focus on basic fire safety behaviors that teach children how to keep themselves safe from fires and burns.

According to Joe Burgess, Chief of the Rome Volunteer Fire Department, the organization has collaborated with the Fairland School District for over twenty years to provide quality fire prevention education.

“We appreciate the opportunity to provide this vital safety service to our community. Our children are our most valuable resource, and the Fairland School district has been very receptive to our safety education programs for nearly twenty five years” Burgess said. “We have been able to provide the teachers with useful safety curriculum and classroom resource materials and also present live, hands-on programs to the students each year. It is a great partnership.

“We are also pleased to partner with neighboring fire departments, which provide equipment, resources and personnel. The Proctorville Community Fire and Rescue helps out, and we use the Perry Township Mobile Fire Safety House.”