Some people's experience with a smoke detector sounding its shrill warning may include memories of mom throwing a burnt frying pan into the yard.

With mom distracted by her little one's plans to shave the cat, the once tasty dish stayed on the stove a few minutes too long, turning into a fiery, black mess fit for neither man nor beast.

The pan landed in the yard, destroyed, and mom hurried back into the house to try and calm the screeching detector.

Though it did its job of warning the household, the detector usually loses - struck down by the nub of a broom handle used to quickly silence it.

Cooking fires are the most common origin of household fires in the United States, accounting for 36 percent of home fire injuries, according to the National Fire Protection Association. And 86 percent of all civilian fire deaths occur because of a fire at home.

With such statistics in mind, local firefighters want people to think about how to prevent home fires. And during National Fire Prevention Week, Oct. 5-11, they aim to help them do just that.

This week, Wheeling firefighters will be handing out fire prevention information on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday at the following times and locations: 12:30-2 p.m. at Centre Market; 2-4 p.m. at the Warwood Kroger; and 2-4 p.m. at the Mount de Chantal Kroger.

Wheeling Fire Inspector Dave Palmer said the Wheeling Fire Department's safety house also will visit schools to teach children in kindergarten through second grade how to deal with a home fire. The safety house has a kitchen and bedroom and uses simulated smoke during the demonstration.

Using names like ''Mr. Fire'' and his wife ''Mrs. Smoke,'' Palmer said the children will be taught that it is best to sleep with the bedroom door closed, so ''Mr. Fire'' will bypass their room when spreading up a hallway. Also, if they think there is a fire, the child should touch the door with the back of their hand to see if it is hot. If it is hot, the child should leave the door closed, open a window and yell out of it for help.

''I don't advocate jumping out of a window or getting onto a roof,'' Palmer said.

If their room becomes smokey, the child is told to stay as low to the ground as possible and yell for help.

''It's important not to hide under the bed or under covers,'' Palmer said.

If the door isn't hot and the child can look out and not see flames, Palmer said the students are told to escape to their family's designated safe meeting place outside.

''Once outside, stay outside,'' Palmer said. ''It's not the fire that's going to kill you - it's the smoke.''

He noted there are a variety of causes for home fires. Locally, many fires are electrical in nature. People too often depend on cheap extension cords and what Palmer described as ''counterfeit'' surge protectors, also known as power strips. The "counterfeit" surge protectors are those equipped without the proper wiring, he said. Some manufacturers even place fake UL, or Underwriters Laboratories, labels on them, he noted. Palmer said the best way to avoid buying a ''counterfeit'' surge protector is to avoid purchasing a cheap one. For example, a good surge protector is probably going to cost more than $1 or $2, he said.

People also should never leave burning candles unattended. And they should use space heaters properly.

''It's important to have smoke detectors in every bedroom and every common area,'' Palmer said, noting fresh batteries should be installed during the change to daylight savings time.