1. Download fire-prevention checklists, make copies and distribute to every employee. It's a good way to say that your company cares.

	Fire Prevention		Home Safety		Holiday Safety

2. Help emphasize the importance of smoke detectors by doing any or all of the following:

• Give every employee a smoke detector
• Distribute 9 volt batteries with a reminder that all employees should replace batteries on their home smoke detectors
• Raffle off several smoke detectors and home fire extinguishers

3. Sponsor a children's art contest on fire prevention. Invite the children of all employees to create an 8-1/2 x 11 "poster" about fire prevention and display them at your offices, providing a certificate of appreciation to all who participate (no need to make it a contest, everyone's a winner here)!

4. Make a contribution to your local fire department in honor of your employees. Call the fire station manager and ask what else you can do to help. Arrange to have a local firefighter give a lunchtime presentation on fire prevention. Consider coordinating a bake-off, with all entries being donated to local fire stations.

5. Place Fire Prevention Posters in employee work areas and lunchrooms. Here's a small, four-color poster you can download and print.

6. Launch a company-wide drive encouraging employees to visit the Coalition for Fire-Safe Cigarettes Web site to sign a petition encouraging legislation that will make fire-safe cigarettes mandatory (they already are in several states, including New York, Vermont, California, New Hampshire, Illinois). Legislation is pending in a few other states - you can get the status of your state at the Web site.

More Information From the Coalition for Fire-Safe Cigarettes:

Fire-Safe Cigarettes: The Time Has Come

Fact Sheet on Cigarette Fire Risk

Myths vs Realities

7. Organize a support group and incentives for employees who want to quit smoking. (This helps save lives in more ways than one!)

8. Distribute a fire escape plan worksheet to all employees.

9. Give a fire chief's hat and a fire prevention checklist to everyone in the company. You can purchase hats at a local party store or order child-size fire hats online at the Oriental Trading Company. The cost is about $6.50 per dozen. Upside down, the hats make great candy dishes, planters, lunchroom centerpieces and raffle ticket holders.

10. Start a grassroots effort to develop a residential sprinkler ordinance in your community. Contact the Residential Fire Safety Institute (RFSI) for more information. RFSI Director, Roy Marshall can help with technical assistance and/or ordinance development. The RFSI Web site has more information.