A home fire can be devastating and they happen more frequently than you may imagine. In a recent year in Bloomington, for example, there were 47 cooking-related fires in 2005 and 35 cooking-related fires—and those are only the ones for which fire trucks were rolled!

A good resource for fire prevention can be found from the Department of Homeland Security. We highlight recommend you read through the materials and take steps to safeguard yourselves and your home:

http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/citizens/focus/

Be safe.

• Check your smoke detectors monthly.
• Check your fire extinguisher monthly.
• Don't leave cooking unattended.
• Never leave candles unattended.
• Don't use space heaters.
• Don't smoke. If you must smoke, dispose of your butt appropriately.
• Do not overload a circuit: too much stuff=fire hazard.
• Never leave a christmas tree (or similar) unattended.

THIS IS JUST A SHORT LIST: WE HIGHLY RECOMMEND YOU CAREFULLY REVIEW THE U.S. FIRE ADMINISTRATION SITE OR CALL THE LOCAL FIRE DEPARTMENT FOR A COMPLETE LIST OF FIRE PREVENTION PRECAUTIONS.

(and if you would like your fire prevention a little less dry, try the one targeting kids (http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/kids/flash.shtm) although it should not be a replacement for the one targeting 'more mature audiences').

Another good site is the National Fire Protection Association
(http://www.nfpa.org/itemDetail.asp?categoryID=1438&itemID=34420).