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You wake up to realize your house is on fire. Immediately you throw off the covers and run for the front door to escape. You’re almost there, a few more steps, and you’re out, but you fall to the floor, overcome by smoke.

A firefighter pushes on the door, trying to enter but finds its block. He finally opens it enough to squeeze through; smoke and flames race out the door above him. Finding your lifeless body, he drags you outside and begins CPR with the medic crew that just pulled up. Other firefighters continue to battle the blaze.

Your neighbors look on in shock, and the cries of your wife, who has just arrived home from work, can be heard in the distance as a police officer briefs her of the situation.

The exhausted firefighter kneels to the ground and unzips his bunker gear to cool off as the ambulance drives away with your body. A scene that could have been prevented if you had remained calm and crawled out of your house instead of running. There was very little smoke at floor level, but you panicked and forgot this simple rule:

If you awake to an alarm or suspect fire at night, roll out of bed, and crawl, there will be less smoke and heat at floor level.

On average, seven people die in U.S. home fires per day.

Smoking is the leading cause of civilian home fire deaths. Heating equipment is the second most common cause of home fires and fire injuries and the third leading cause of fire deaths.

Smoke alarms save lives.

Make sure you have a working smoke detector in your home.

Don’t be the next victim, remain calm, and survive.