It's officially been 100 years since the US began marking the week of October 9 as Fire Prevention Week — a tradition that kicked off in 1922 in commemoration of the Great Chicago Fire, which began on October 8, 1871.

And each year when I spot the reminders that Fire Prevention Week is around the corner, the memories flood in of all the things I learned as a child about what to do should — heaven forbid — your own home be the next victim of one of nature's most powerful forces. 

Like most kids who grew up here in the county, I was lucky enough to spend many a Fire Prevention Week at school with local firefighters on the premises sharing their expertise and experiences. 

I'm sure at times I was a less than attentive student, chattering with classmates who were similarly excited to have been sprung from our desks for a venture out of doors to watch a fire hose spray or to the gymnasium for a presentation. 

For that, I apologize. 

And yet, the lessons stuck around. 

It's a tribute to countless Sullivan County volunteers that I know how to stop, drop and roll, that I recall the need to get low to the ground and crawl to the nearest exit to drop below the smoke. 

It's thanks to these people who took time out of their busy days to talk themselves hoarse in front of hordes of children that I still recall Sullivan County's pre-911 emergency number by heart and know to figure out escape routes from your home in case of a fire. 

It's because of some community-minded individuals that when I spot a firefighter in full turnout gear, the words "friendly monster" still spring to mind. 

It's been long enough that I can't really remember the last time I was a giddy kid out of class on a frosty October morning for a Fire Prevention Week tutorial by our local volunteer firefighters. 

But I don't need to remember the when. What matters is I still remember everything they taught me. 

And for that, I'll always be grateful.