It’s 2 a.m., and the kids are asleep in their beds. As you come to, you realize you were awakened by a screeching beep from the hallway. The question is, what do you do next?

If that screeching beep can be correctly identified as a smoke alarm, maybe you could then take 1/1,000 of a second to congratulate yourself on being among the 96 percent of American households with one installed. But you probably would not want to take the time, if you have a plan that is, because every 1/1,000 of a second counts in a home fire.

An average of eight people die daily in the United States in home fires. In the last week in Newberry County, firefighters have responded to three such blazes. Thankfully no one died in any of those cases, but when residents lack a plan and quick action, that trend could be swiftly and tragically reversed. This week’s roundup of fire causes locally included candles, an electrical short and one unknown culprit in the three fires. But statistics show that two activities are the most prone to causing home fires: cooking and heating.

Home fires peak in the winter months, presumably because that is when most people turn on the heat. With more people trying to trim their home heating bills by selectively warming certain rooms with space heaters, there is even more cause for concern this winter. Heating equipment fires caused the most property damage nationwide, and come in second for the type of fire that will most likely get you killed. Careless smoking was the most likely firestarter to kill a person in a home fire according to a report from the National Fire Protection Association.

Drowning, poisoning, falls and motor vehicles are all ahead of fire in the rate of people killed by accidents, but death in a home fire can be highly preventable. It just takes a small investment of money and time to increase your safety quotient exponentially.

Two out of three home fire deaths happened in a house with no smoke alarm—so get one. No excuses. If you can’t afford it, call your local fire department and they will help you find a way. Live in a rental? So what. Yes, landlords should make sure properties have them, if only for the insurance break; but it is your life, so make sure the smoke alarm is in place and in working order.

People most likely die in a fire when they are in the room where it starts. You need a quick escape plan, from every room. Make your plan and practice it a couple of times a year.

Volunteer firefighters around the county, state and nation drill all the time to come up with approaches on how best to remove people from burning buildings and to put out the blaze. We should do at least the same for ourselves, and put in an effort to make what can be a dangerous season for home fires safer for us all.