All the success in fire prevention we have experienced over the past few years is the reason we must keep trying to better educate our citizens. Unlike Europe and Asia where local government has the authority to require certain home fire safety steps be taken, we here in America must rely on an educated citizenry to deal with the residential fire problem-still the number one fire problem in the United States.

So ... how are we doing?

• A fire is reported to fire departments in the U.S. every 15 seconds.
• Fire kills in the U.S. every 97 minutes.
• Households can expect to average two fires serious enough to alert the fire department in an average person's lifetime. This includes fires at home, work, or play, on the road, or outdoors.
• Having a smoke detector in your home cuts in half your risk of dying in a home fire.
• Automatic sprinklers save lives.
• Approximately 80 percent of all U.S. civilian fire deaths occur in home fires.
• Preschool children (age 5 and under) have a fire death rate more than twice the national average.
• Older adults also have high fire death rates in U.S. home fires-twice the national average for those age 65 and older- three times the national average for those 75 and older; and four times the national average for those 85 and older.
• Smoking materials are the number one cause of home fire fatalities in the U.S.
• Heating equipment is the number one cause of home fires in the U.S.
• Cooking equipment is the number one cause of home fire injuries in the U. S.
• Most home fires (nearly two-thirds) begin in kitchens, chimneys, bedrooms, or living rooms.
• The peak period for home fires is 6:00-7:00 p.m. - the peak period for home fire deaths is 2:00-3:00 a.m.
• Both home fires and home fire deaths peak in the cold-weather months.