Please remember to review fire safety with your children, reminding them that everybody, whether in a home or an apartment, should have a working smoke detector.  Also, go over with them about being sure doors remain closed every night when they go to bed.  Remind them that if they think that there is a fire (or if there is smoke in the house) to keep the door closed and to get to a window, open it if they can, and call for help.  There are several other tips you might share:

Conduct a family meeting and discuss the following topics:

• Always sleep with the bedroom doors closed. This will keep deadly heat and smoke out of bedrooms, giving you additional time to escape.

• Find a way for everyone to sound a family alarm. Yelling, pounding on walls, whistles, etc. Practice yelling "FIRE!"

• In a fire, time is critical. Don't waste time getting dressed, don't search for pets or valuables. Just get out!

• Roll out of bed. Stay low. One breath of smoke or gases may be enough to kill.

If a Fire Does Occur:

• Stay out; Don't go back inside a burning building for anything or anyone. Let the fire department do that! They have the training and the protective equipment.

• Call the fire department from a neighbor’s house or use the fire alarm call box.

There are many web sites relating to fire safety.  A few are:
http://www.firesafetytips.com/
http://www.cambridgema.gov/cfd/HomeSafetyTips.cfm
http://www.firesafety.gov/kids/flash.shtm    (This is a site especially for kids)
http://www.faribault.org/fire_code/safetytips.html