DAE have a smoker flare-up ruin a good batch of chicken?

I was smoking some chicken thighs for a backyard thing yesterday, everything seemed fine at first. Had my charcoal going and wood chunks added for that nice smoke flavor. Out of nowhere, grease dripped into the fire and caused a huge flare-up. The flames shot up and charred the skin on half the thighs before I could move them. Ended up with some pieces burnt and others undercooked, total mess. I felt pretty silly serving that to friends who were expecting juicy BBQ. Now I'm rethinking my grate placement or maybe adding a drip pan. What do you folks do to prevent grease fires in your smokers?