If you ever experience a home fire, you may not be able to protect your child. Because of this, it’s essential for children to know basic fire protection systems and rules for getting out of the house safely. Here are a few fire protection tips every child should know.

If there’s a fire, get out immediately. Young children have an instinct to hide if there’s a fire. Your child should know that if the fire alarm goes off or smoke starts coming through the door, he should escape instead of hiding. Work out an escape route for your kids—make sure they can get out through a window if they can’t leave through the bedroom door—and be sure they know not to try to take anything or go back into the house for any reason.

Stop, drop and roll. If your child’s clothes catch fire, he can extinguish them by stopping, falling to the ground and rolling vigorously until the flames are smothered, making sure to cover his eyes and mouth with his hands. Kids should practice the “stop, drop and roll” maneuver until it’s second nature.

Know the route. Your child should know exactly how to get out of the house in case of a fire, and where to meet once he’s safely outside. Each child should know at least two ways to get out, in case one route is blocked by fire. Choose a place that’s far enough away from the house to be safe—the end of your driveway or by a tree or another landmark in your garden, for example—so that when you get out, you’ll know that your children are safely out of the house as well. Perform regular fire drills to give your kids the opportunity to practice getting out of the house in case of fire—and be sure your kids can find the way out even if their vision is obscured by smoke.

Get low. Many victims of home fires don’t die of burns—they die of smoke inhalation. Your children should know that breathing smoke in a fire is very dangerous. Smoke rises, so your kids are more likely to find breathable air if they drop to the ground and crawl. Teach them to get low to the ground if the house fills with smoke and they’re finding it difficult to breathe.

Firefighters are there to help. Firefighters can seem scary to young children. During a fire, the house may be completely black because of smoke. Firefighters will wear breathing masks, will breathe loudly because of them, and may be carrying axes or other firefighting tools. Make sure kids know that firefighters are there to help them out of the house—and not to hide.

Fire protection is no joke—for kids or adults. Make sure your child knows the basics of fire safety—what to do if her clothes catch fire, how to get out of the house in case of fire, and not to hide from firefighters. With this knowledge, your children will be better able to protect themselves in case of a residential fire.