National Fire Prevention Week is Oct. 5-11. The theme of this year's campaign, "Prevent Home Fires," focuses on preventing the leading causes of home fires - cooking, heating and electrical equipment, and smoking materials.

While most people feel safe in their homes, the reality is that home fires are much more common than people might think.

There were nearly 400,000 home fires reported in 2006 in the United States, resulting in more than 2,500 civilian deaths and 12,500 civilian injuries. Home fires caused 80 percent of civilian deaths and 76 percent of injuries.

I would like residents of the greater Des Moines area to be prepared.

One way to do this is by proactively combing through each room in your home to find signs of danger and fix them.

Another is a practiced escape plan.

Currently, only 35 percent of U.S. households have a well-practiced plan in place for escaping home fires. www.publicsafe.org is encouraging families to log-on, click and visit the fire safety tips links, practice the fire prevention tips and make a fire escape plan and practice it.

Put your family's safety first during Fire Prevention Week, and year-round.

Wayne Corey

Publisher

www.publicsafe.org