(Harrisburg) -- Families are being encouraged to have an escape plan if the smoke detectors sound in their home. It's part of Fire Prevention Week in Pennsylvania. More than 2,600 people died in residential fires across the country last year, an increase of nearly three percent from 2009. State Fire Commissioner Ed Mann hopes families will take the time to protect themselves from fire. "Walk through the homes and look for hazards. Things like, 'Do we have extension cords plugged into appliances where we shouldn't be using them?'" he says, "To make sure there aren't electric cords running under carpets or areas where people can walk on them. It's a good time of the year to test the smoke detectors in our homes and make sure they work the way they're supposed to." Mann says part of a home fire drill should be a night time test of smoke detectors, after small children have gone to bed. He says research shows children younger than six may not hear a smoke detector when it activates. Mann is also encouraging families to sit down together, make an escape plan in case of fire and practice it.