When is the last time you checked the batteries in your smoke alarms?

Or put together a fire escape plan that your children have practiced?

August is a popular U-Haul summer moving month for families and back-to-school month for the kids, but it also serves as Home Fire Preparedness Month at the American Red Cross.

U-Haul International, Inc. is proud to serve as an official Red Cross Disaster Responder, aiding the Red Cross when emergencies – ranging from storms and flooding to fires and severe heat – strike across the U.S.

U-Haul and the Red Cross also want to help you prevent personal disasters by offering safety reminders and valuable nuggets of information.

On average, seven people die and 36 people suffer injuries as a result of home fires each day in the U.S., according to Red Cross statistics. More than $7 billion in property damage occurs each year.

Read tips on how to prepare for, respond to and recover after home fires by clicking here. For preventative information, statistics on home fires and tips on engaging youth through the Paradigm Challenge, click here. Also, take a moment to glance at the home fire safety checklist with your family.

The Red Cross and its partners recently launched an initiative that aims to reduce deaths and injuries caused by home fires by 25 percent in five years. The Red Cross is asking every household in America to join in by taking two simple steps: check or install smoke alarms and practice fire drills at home.

You can join the campaign as a volunteer by contacting your local Red Cross chapter.

Have you survived a home fire or do you know someone who has? Please share your thoughts in the comment box below. Let us know what you think of U-Haul partnering with the Red Cross as a Disaster Responder.