According to new figures released exclusively to TODAY by the American Red Cross, 82 percent of families have never practiced a family fire drill (find more on that here). The American Red Cross says there are simple things you can to protect your family from a fire in your home:
- If you don't have them, install smoke detectors — at least one on each level of your house.
- If you do have smoke detectors, test them today. The Red Cross says having working smoke detectors will cut your risk of death from fire in half.
- Make a plan to get out of every room, and to get out of the house in less than 2 minutes.
- Once you have a plan, practice it on a regular basis.
The Red Cross also offers a fire escape planning fact sheet you can use at home to prepare a plan.