America is a fire-prone Nation. We lead the industrialized world with our annual rate of fire deaths. Twenty years ago, this country was losing 12,000 people a year to fire; today, we lose just under 6,000. Much of this progress is the result of a significant Federal focus on the Nation's fire problem. To see how far we've come, let's look where we've been. In 1973, this country's loss to fire was so devastating that a presidentially appointed commission was charged with evaluating America's fire risk and recommending ways to reduce that risk. The commission's findings resulted in the publication of "America Burning." This landmark report did two things: it made America aware of its fire problem, and it made a number of recommendations on how to reduce the problem. One year later, Congress passed the Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act, establishing the United States Fire Administration (USFA). Fire continues to be a serious national problem. How and when will we reach our goal of achieving a fire safe America? The answer lies in greater public awareness of the fire problem. The USFA leads that national effort, and continues to focus attention on the fire problem to identify solutions resulting in further reductions of fire losses.