VIDEO: National fire prevention week officially starts Sunday, but the Holmen Area Fire Department got a head start, holding an open house Saturday. This year's theme for the week is "Every Second Counts: Plan 2 Ways Out." A smoke house simulated what it would be like to evacuate during a fire, and adults were able to practice with fire extinguishers. Fire Chief Paul Menches said the goal for this whole month is to teach everyone from kids to seniors about hazard prevention in general. "One thing we want kids to do, we want them to take a pledge not to play with fire. We're seeing a rise with candles, and we're asking them to help us out with that,” he said. “And our message is very simple: They're very special and we want them to assist us in keeping fire down in our community."