The Detroit Fire Department is kicking off Fire Prevention Week 2026 with a free, interactive community event that starts today and continues at two more firehouses over the coming days. Families can get hands-on with fire hoses, sign up for free smoke alarm installations, and learn hands-only CPR, all while grabbing free food and watching their kids bounce around an inflatable fire safety house.
According to WXYZ 7 News Detroit, the events are scheduled for today, Wednesday and Friday at three separate Detroit fire stations. The first stop is today from noon to 3 p.m. at Engine 42, located at 6324 W. Chicago. On Wednesday, the event moves to Engine 56 at 18601 Ryan Road from 4 to 7 p.m., and it wraps up Friday at Engine 54, 16825 Trinity Street, also from 4 to 7 p.m.
Fourth Year, New Focus on Battery Fires
FOX 2 Detroit reports this marks the department's fourth annual Fire Prevention Week event, confirming the same noon-to-3 p.m. window for today's kickoff at Engine 42 on W. Chicago. This year's theme, “Charge into Fire Safety: Safe Charging Is a Superpower,” zeroes in on lithium-ion battery risks tied to phones, e-bikes and scooters, according to the station's report.
That theme traces back to the National Fire Protection Association, which announced it as the official national campaign slogan for Fire Prevention Week 2026 back in June, according to FireRescue1. The nationwide campaign runs October 4 through October 10 and centers on everyday charging habits that can help reduce the risk of battery fires, per the same outlet. FireRescue1 notes the NFPA's Fire Prevention Week resource center offers six safety tips specific to lithium-ion batteries along with printable and digital materials departments can use.
What Families Can Do at Each Stop
Beyond the battery-safety messaging, the Detroit events are built around hands-on learning. Attendees can try fire extinguisher training, get hands-on experience operating an actual fire hose, and walk through a mobile fire safety house or its inflatable counterpart, per WXYZ. The department is also offering free smoke alarm installation sign-ups and hands-only CPR instruction at each location.
Organizers are pairing the safety lessons with resources from the Detroit Health Department and NFPA materials focused on safe charging habits, the station's report notes. It's meant to feel less like a classroom and more like a neighborhood party, with bounce houses, giant Connect 4, cornhole, and a round of Fowling rounding out the family-friendly activities.
Food, Music and a Meet-and-Greet
Each stop will also feature a live DJ and music, free food, and food trucks on site, according to the same WXYZ account. Kids and parents alike will have a chance for a meet-and-greet with firefighters, giving the week a community-building angle alongside the safety training.
The three-stop format echoes the department's approach in prior years, when the Detroit Fire Department's Community Relations Division ran similar large-scale community events as part of its broader mission, which also includes fire prevention presentations and hands-only CPR training, according to the City of Detroit. With all three sessions free and open to the public, the department is betting that pairing hard safety information with a block-party atmosphere will get more Detroiters thinking about fire risks at home, from traditional smoke alarms to the newer hazard of charging devices left unattended overnight.
