By Howard Packowitz and Illinois Radio Network

The theme of this year’s National Fire Prevention Week focuses on getting out of a burning building.

National Fire Prevention Week runs through Saturday, and departments across the state will be visiting schools explaining the importance of making sure the whole family knows at least two ways to get out of their homes.

The Bloomington Fire Department’s public information officer, Stuart Blade, said there aren’t likely to be fire ladders in every home, so he tells kids to close the door and look for a firefighter out the window.

“If you keep that door closed you not only keep the heat out but you keep oxygen levels near 18 percent instead of dropping down to eight percent,” Blade said.

Firefighters are changing the way they enter a house that’s on fire. Instead of breaking through the front door, they’re entering through bedroom windows where people are most likely to be late at night.

“Since the majority of fires occur between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m., we know that people are predominantly going to be in their bedrooms,” said Blade.

“We’re taking ladders directly into that bedroom, shutting the door and doing a search.”

There were more than 15-thousand house fires in Illinois last year.

Howard Packowitz can be reached at [email protected]