(Sorry about the blur-tastic picture - I took it from the window of my car while I was stopped at the light).

If you drive down Union on a regular basis, chances are you've noticed this sign at the fire station just west of McLean. It's a count-up, if you will, that measures the number of days since the last fire fatality Memphis.

I live in Midtown, and I see the sign just about every day. This is the highest I think I've ever seen the count.

According to the Memphis Fire Museum (the ones who sponsor the sign), Memphis has a very high rate of fire fatality, higher than other cities of its size. The sign is a way for them to raise awareness of the frequency of fire-related deaths.

The sign works - I don't know about you, but I get excited every time the number starts creeping up over 100. When the number drops down a little (when someone dies days after the fire happened) or drops to zero, it makes me sad (and reminds me to go home and check the smoke detectors).

Maybe Memphis should start counting up more often - it seems to help a little bit.