Home fires are the most common disasters in the United States, yet 80 percent of Americans are unaware that their homes could be at high risk. With heating costs on the rise, alternative heating methods are becoming more common and reliable but few realize that they can often be more hazardous.

In a 2006 Red Cross poll, four in 10 families (42 percent) indicate that they are using alternative heating methods such as space heaters, wood/coal stoves and fireplaces to keep warm this winter. Among families with children under the age of 18, the figure rose to 49 percent. The National Fire Protection Agency reports that children are twice as likely as adults to die in residential fires.

According to the U.S. Fire Administration, alternative heating sources play a part in 74 percent of fire-related deaths. Last year alone, the Red Cross helped families affected by nearly 67,000 house and apartment fires, providing immediate emergency assistance. Each chapter maintains a disaster relief fund specifically for dealing with local disasters. This money is most often used to provide food, clothing, temporary shelter and other special needs to affected families.

Even though fire kills more Americans each year than all natural disasters combined, of those polled, two-thirds said that they thought hurricanes, tornados, floods and mudslides posed a greater threat to their homes than fires.

Losing a home to a fire is a traumatic experience for any family, but there are steps you can take all year long to minimize the threat. The Red Cross urges Americans to prepare their families for the unexpected. Develop a family disaster plan and take these steps toward fire prevention and safety:

Simple Steps to Prevent Fires

• Keep all sources of fuel (paper, clothing, bedding and carpet/rugs) at least three feet away from all heat sources.

• Always make sure children have full adult supervision while cooking or I rooms with candles or fires. Never leave burning candles unattended.

• Keep matches and lighters out of the reach of children.

• Teach young children to notify an adult when they see matches and lighters and encourage them not to play with fire if curious or bored.

Simple Steps to Make Your Home Safer

• Install a smoke alarm inside and outside each sleeping area in your house and on each additional level. Test smoke alarms regularly (once a month) and replace batteries immediately.

• Smoke alarms become less sensitive over time and should be replaced every 10 years.

• Consider having one or more fire extinguishers in your house and know how to properly operate them. Training can be obtained from your local fire department.

• Consider installing an automatic fire sprinkler system in your home.

• Know and learn two different ways to escape from every room of your home. Determine if you need escape ladders for sleeping area on the second or third floor. Learn how to use them and keep them near a window.

• Select a location outside your home as a meeting point for your family to gather after evacuating the house. Practice your escape plan twice a year, especially with children.

Safety Tips in the Event that Fire Strikes Your Home

• Once you are out of your home, stay out! Use a neighbor’s phone to call the fire department.

• If you see smoke or fire in your escape route, use your second way out. If you have to get through smoke, stay low and crawl toward the exit. If exiting through a closed door, be sure to feel the door prior to opening it. If it is warm or hot, use your second way out.

• If smoke, heat, or flames block your exit routes, stay in the room with the door closed.

• Signal for help by tying a brightly-colored cloth at the window. Call the fire department to tell them your location if there is a phone in the room.