The National Fire Protection Association® (NFPA®) and Emerling-Gase Motorsports have teamed up to promote Fire Prevention Week™, October 8-14, 2023, and this year’s theme, “Cooking safety starts with YOU. Pay attention to fire prevention™”.
Through this unique collaboration, Emerling-Gase Motorsport’s No35 driver, Alex Guenette, and No53 driver, Conor Daly, will be sporting eye-catching inverted Sparky the Fire Dog® paint schemes during the upcoming NASCAR Xfinity Series Roval race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway on Saturday, October 7. In addition, Sparky will be at the track to celebrate the day with the drivers and race car fans. The race will be televised nationally on NBC at 3 pm ET.
“As the official sponsor of Fire Prevention Week for more than 100 years, NFPA is thrilled to be part of this event, which comes at an ideal time, as it coincides with the start of this year’s campaign on Sunday, October 8,” said Lorraine Carli, vice president of Outreach and Advocacy at NFPA. “It’s a great opportunity to promote this year’s theme and messages, which highlight the importance of cooking safely.”
Fire Prevention Week is celebrated throughout North American every October and is the oldest public health observance on record in the U.S. For 101 years, Fire Prevention Week has worked to educate people about the leading risks of home fires and ways they can better protect themselves and their loved ones. Local fire departments, schools, and community organizations play a key role in bringing Fire Prevention Week to life in their communities each year and spreading basic but critical fire safety messages.
This year’s Fire Prevention Week theme, “Cooking safety starts with YOU. Pay attention to fire prevention.,” comes in response to NFPA’s latest cooking fire data, which shows that cooking remains by far the leading cause of U.S. home fires, with nearly half (49 percent) of all home fires involving cooking equipment; cooking is also the leading cause of home fire injuries and the second-leading cause of home fire deaths.
“Emerling-Gase Motorsports and NFPA are joining forces to bring important cooking safety message to millions of viewers nationwide,” said Joey Gase, Co-Owner of Emerling-Gase Motorsports. “Together, our goal is to inspire discussions and actions around home fire safety that help make everyone safer from fire.”
In addition to the October 7 race, Emerling-Gase Motorsport’s Co-owner Joey Gase will be joining forces with the Concord and Charlotte Fire Departments in North Carolina early next week to attend community events in support of Fire Prevention Week. Details about these activities will be shared in the coming days.
To learn more about Fire Prevention Week and this year’s theme, “Cooking safety starts with YOU. Pay attention to fire prevention.,” visit www.fpw.org. Additional Fire Prevention Week resources for children, caregivers, and educators can be found at www.sparky.org and www.sparkyschoolhouse.org.
— Emerling-Gase Motorsports —