All families should have a fire emergency plan. The evacuation plan should contain two escape routes from each room. If the first route is unavailable, use the second. Check any closed doors for heat before opening them, to prevent spreading the fire. If there is no path without smoke, remember to crawl with your face as close to the floor as possible, to use the freshest available air. If all escape routes blocked, use a towel or other rolled cloth to block the bottom of the doors. Use a bright clothe during day, or a flashlight at night, to signal for help. Call 911 and give your exact location in the house.

Part of your family’s emergency plan is an emergency kit. It should contain at least a map of your house, a first aid kit and any meds, as well as copies of your vital papers. Though every family member should memorize the emergency contact numbers, it is a good idea to keep a copy of them in the kit.

You should have smoke detectors on every floor, and in every bedroom. Check the batteries every six months and test the detector every month. Every member of the family should know where the fire extinguisher is and, if old enough, how to use it. If you have bedrooms above the ground floor, escape ladders might be an option. Keep a flashlight, bathrobe, shoes and a handkerchief to block smoke by the bed.

Teach your kids to dial 911. make a game of the drills, which should be practiced at least twice a year. Practice stop drop and roll. Use a blindfold to simulate being blinded by smoke. Set up a meeting place outside the house and practice escaping from each room. Contact your local fire department for a list of home fire hazards and remove or reduce them; make it a game of scavenger hunt for the kids.

Remember, in case of a fire. Don’t stop to collect personal items, just get out. And don’t go back in.