For more than 80 consecutive years, the President of the United States has signed a proclamation for Fire Prevention Week, signaling national support of fire departments as they teach fire safety in their communities.
Mayoral proclamations can complement this national attention, spotlighting the fire safety work of first responders in your city or town, and helping to reinforce the lifesaving messages associated with the annual theme. A proclamation-signing ceremony can be a great photo opportunity for the media, and valuable exposure for your department.
You will need to submit a request to obtain a mayoral proclamation. A formal request must come from someone within the city or town. NFPA provides sample proclamations but does not arrange for signings.
Once you've arranged the proclamation signing with the official's office, let the media know about it in advance. Send out a press advisory the day before the signing and call the assignment desk at local news stations and newspapers the day of the signing, encouraging the media to cover the event. If you are able to obtain a proclamation but not a signing ceremony, you can still get media mileage out of it by providing your media contacts with copies of the proclamation along with an advisory putting the proclamation in context.