If you’re inside a burning home, you may have as little as one or two minutes to escape.

That’s why fire safety advocates stress the importance of creating an escape plan. And they want families to practice that plan twice a year – as well as regularly test their smoke alarms.

Home fires resulted in 2,380 civilian deaths and 12,875 injuries in 2012, according to the National Fire Protection Association.

“It’s extremely important [to plan] because you don’t want the smoke alarm to sound in the middle of the night and not have a plan and not know what you’re going to do,” said Judy Comoletti, division manager for public education at the NFPA.

The U.S. Fire Administration and the NFPA provide the following guidance to help families prepare for a fire emergency and make sure everyone knows what to do.

A family affair

Everyone in the family – from young children to the elderly – should know how to escape in case of a fire, Comoletti said. “Without having a plan and practicing your drill, you might not know [that] maybe an older adult living in your home is not hearing the smoke alarm, or you may have to adjust your plan for your children who might not wake up to the alarm,” she said.

Assign a family member to provide assistance during an evacuation for infants, older adults and any family members with disabilities. Designate a backup person in case the original family member isn’t home.

“It’s good to involve everyone in the family, so when they’re visiting the room they can identify ways to get out,” Comoletti said. “They can help find the smoke alarms, record when you tested them, whether they worked. There can be a job for everyone.”

Practice at different times of the day. Although a drill doesn’t have to be in the middle of the night, conducting one after family members are asleep can help prepare them for a possible night fire, Comoletti said. If someone is a heavy sleeper and may not awaken when a smoke alarm sounds, assign someone to wake him or her. It’s OK to tell children ahead of time that a drill will occur. “You don’t want to make this a scary thing,” she said.

Check out escapes

Have you ever walked through your house to consider all possible exits? It’s important, the NFPA states. Ensure escape routes are clear and doors and windows open easily. Make sure security bars on windows and doors have emergency release devices so they can be quickly opened.

Family members should be able to escape from second-floor rooms. The NFPA recommends placing escape ladders near windows if needed.

Smoke alarms are a must

Both the NFPA and USFA urge installing a smoke alarm in every bedroom, outside each sleeping area and on every level of the home. The NFPA recommends interconnected smoke alarms, which sound all at once.

Smoke alarms have a life span of 10 years and should be tested monthly. Carbon monoxide alarms also should be installed on every level of the home and outside each sleeping area and tested monthly. These alarms should be less than seven years old, the USFA states.

Sprinklers also could be added. “For the ultimate safety, if you’re purchasing a new home or remodeling, consider a residential fire sprinkler system throughout the home,” Comoletti said.

Do you live in a high-rise apartment? Before you sign or renew a lease, make sure the building has fire sprinklers.

Meet outside

During an evacuation, pick safe escape routes – those with less smoke and heat – and close doors behind you to help prevent the fire from spreading.

Determine an outside meeting place where the entire family will gather after escaping. The place can be a neighbor’s house, a sign or a mailbox, for example, and should be a safe distance from the home. Designating a meeting place will allow you to know if anyone is missing.

The USFA recommends making your meeting place near the front of your home so firefighters see who escaped.

If you live in a high-rise building, contact the building manager about what to do during a fire, Comoletti said. Some high-rise buildings may evacuate only certain floors and may tell residents to stay in their apartments or move to a safe area. Never use an elevator during a fire.

Additionally, never re-enter a burning home or building – even if someone is missing. Inform the fire department – firefighters are trained for rescues.

Most fire fatalities are due to smoke inhalation, USFA statistics show. Other dangers of entering a burning building include explosion, building collapse and electrocution.

If you’re trapped

If you’re trapped by fire or smoke, close all doors between you and the fire. Seal the door, cover air vents with duct tape or towels to keep out smoke, and open the windows. Call the fire department and share your exact location.

Additional considerations

Make sure your home’s street number is visible from the road so emergency responders can find your home, the NFPA states. If it isn’t, paint the number on the curb or install house numbers on the building.

Inform visitors and guests of your escape plan. When you stay overnight at other people’s homes, ask about their escape plan. If they don’t have one, offer to help create one. The NFPA says this is crucial for kids who attend sleepovers.

“As a parent, if your child is staying at a home, I don’t think it’s unrealistic to ask if they have working alarms, where are the children sleeping, are there two ways out?” Comoletti said. “Make sure you’re comfortable where your child is going to be.”

Get kids involved

If your family has children, draw an escape plan. Note two ways out of every room, including doors and windows. Mark the location of the meeting place and every smoke alarm. The USFA suggests keeping the escape plan on the refrigerator.

“You can practice a drill, then have something special afterwards, maybe a pizza party, watch a movie,” Comoletti said. “Maybe have kids count footsteps to the meeting place once they exit the front door.

“They’re learning about it at school and bringing the information home, and they encourage their parents to test their smoke alarms,” she said. “A lot of times it’s coming from kids, that they want to do this, which is a good thing.”