Stop, drop, and…what?

  The week of Oct. 9 has been declared Fire Prevention Week for the past 89 years. Many of us recall when we were taught to "stop, drop, and roll" or "get out and stay out," but the activism in regard to fire prevention has lost its steam.

  We are no longer greeted with Smokey the bear warning us about the dangers of forest fires, or even the constant reminder to check the batteries in our smoke detectors.

  Fire prevention has lost its place in the hearts of many Americans.

  After all, who has room for fire safety and the like when we have "Shawty fire burning on the dance floor" and "Just gonna stand there and watch me burn" to take the place?

  The priorities of the majority have shifted over the past few decades—especially those of the younger generations.

  There is no denying that while fire prevention was a major concern once, it doesn't matter as much now.

  Few people take the time to ensure their smoke detectors are in working order, or to ensure that they or other individuals in their family have an escape plan.

  I remember when we would learn about fire safety in school, and I would go home to my mother and ask her all kinds of questions—where are our smoke detectors? Do they work? Where do I go if there's a fire? What if I can't get out that way?

  On and on, until I knew everything I needed to know. I thought about what I would grab if I ever heard that alarm go off—what things mattered the most to me?

  Of course at that point it was a list of toys, but you catch my drift.

  Now to pull you out of that fond memory, I'll shift back to today.

  Fire prevention is the furthest thing from my mind.

  I don't think about my escape plan, I don't worry about which item gets spared the fiery death, I don't think about it until that wretched noise sounds, causing me to jump and immediately forget everything I need to do to safely get out of the building.

  Seriously. I have to stumble around to find my shoes, think for a few seconds and grab my keys, hope I remember to lock the door, so on and so forth.

    After all, it's not really a fire—either a drill or some idiot pulled the alarm and I'm going to get fined. Right?

  According to the National Fire Protection Association, there were 1,331,500 fires for the year of 2010. That's a lot of fires.

  It's not all that unlikely that the fire alarm screeching in my ear is an indicator of just one of them.

  So, yes, fire prevention is something people don't think about much anymore. But that doesn't mean it's something that should be forgotten about.

  Many of the prevention tactics are fairly simple—changing batteries, knowing where to go, using common sense. And who knows, those simple things might just save your life.