Presidential Document2021-21949
Fire Prevention Week, 2021
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
October 6, 2021
Signed
October 1, 2021
Issuing agencies
Executive Office of the President
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 86 Issue 191 (Wednesday, October 6, 2021)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 191 (Wednesday, October 6, 2021)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 55469-55470]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2021-21949]
Presidential Documents
Federal Register / Vol. 86 , No. 191 / Wednesday, October 6, 2021 /
Presidential Documents
___________________________________________________________________
Title 3--
The President
[[Page 55469]]
Proclamation 10275 of October 1, 2021
Fire Prevention Week, 2021
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
During Fire Prevention Week, we honor our brave
firefighters and first responders who risk their lives
to protect us every day and reaffirm the importance of
fire safety and preparedness. This week, I call on all
Americans to educate themselves about fire prevention
and safety and recommit to taking the necessary steps
to prevent fires. Whether you are in your own home or
camping in one of America's majestic National Parks,
taking the proper precautions and safety measures can
help prevent fires and save your life and the lives of
your family and others while protecting our natural
wonders.
Already this year, more than 44,000 wildfires have
burned nearly 5.3 million acres of our land--an area
roughly the size of the State of New Jersey. These
fires have destroyed homes and priceless memories. They
have forced families into shelters and filled the air
with smoke for hundreds of miles. Precious lives have
been lost. The fires have ground local economies to a
halt, swallowed up family farms, and disrupted supply
chains that fuel jobs, businesses, and communities all
across the country.
These fires represent a code red for our Nation--and we
know that, unless we take bold action to address
climate change, they will only continue to gain in
frequency and ferocity. Scientists have warned us for
years that extreme weather will only get more extreme,
and today we are living it in real time. Extreme
weather, including wildfires, cost America $99 billion
last year; unfortunately, we are poised to break that
record this year.
That is why my Administration is committed to taking on
the threat of climate change and investing in America's
resilience. We have proposed investing billions of
dollars to strengthen our wildfire preparedness,
resilience, and response. These investments will not
just save lives and homes--they will also save
industries and create new jobs. When I think about
climate change, I always think about the millions of
good-paying, union jobs we can create--but we also need
to think about all of the jobs and industries we stand
to lose if we fail to act boldly enough. The evidence
is overwhelming that every dollar we invest in our
resilience saves us six dollars down the road, when the
next fire does not spread as widely and homes and
businesses are spared.
Our response to this threat starts with our brave
firefighters, who put their lives on the line every
day. To better support the wildland firefighters who
serve our Nation so courageously, my Administration is
committed to making sure that we have enough
firefighters on call who are trained, equipped, and
ready to respond. That is why I took action this summer
to ensure that all of our Federal firefighters will
earn a minimum of $15 an hour. My Administration has
increased wildland firefighter pay through bonuses and
retention pay, extended seasonal firefighter employment
to ensure robust response throughout the fire season,
deployed new fire detection and air monitoring
technologies, invoked the Defense Production Act to
increase the supply of equipment, and brought
additional aircraft and personnel to bear from both the
Department of Defense and our partner nations.
[[Page 55470]]
During Fire Prevention Week, I call on all Americans to
educate themselves about fire safety, take the
appropriate precautions when encountering fires, and
honor our courageous firefighters, volunteers, and
first responders. I also encourage everyone to install
and maintain smoke alarms in their homes--critical
elements of fire safety that have helped significantly
decrease United States home fire death rates over the
past 40 years. By testing alarms every month and
replacing them every 10 years, we can be better
prepared to respond quickly to fires and prevent tragic
loss of life.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of
the United States of America, by virtue of the
authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws
of the United States, do hereby proclaim October 3
through October 9, 2021, as Fire Prevention Week. On
Sunday, October 3, 2021, in accordance with Public Law
107-51, the flag of the United States will be flown at
half-staff at all Federal office buildings in honor of
the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Service. I
call on all Americans to participate in this observance
with appropriate programs and activities and by
renewing their efforts to prevent fires and their
tragic consequences.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
first day of October, in the year of our Lord two
thousand twenty-one, and of the Independence of the
United States of America the two hundred and forty-
sixth.
<GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT>
(Presidential Sig.)
[FR Doc. 2021-21949
Filed 10-5-21; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3395-F2-P
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</html>Indexed from Federal Register on October 6, 2021.
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