In 1988, the State of South Carolina kicked off a public fire safety program entitled "Get Alarmed, South Carolina " The program has been credited in 1990 with helping the State record the lowest number of fire deaths in five years and to begin the reverse a trend in recent years toward higher and higher fire death rates. The story of the "Get Alarmed, South Carolina " program and other South Carolina public fire safety efforts since 1988 offer lessons which may be helpful to other States.