Pet Fire Safety

6/6/2019 (Permalink)

A smoke detector that was in a fire in Akron, Ohio.

Did you know that house fires affect approximately 500,000 pets each year?

This statistic and tips are according to the American Fire Administration. A pet can easily start a house fire by accidentally knocking over a candle when left attended. They can also knock over halogen lamps and space heaters by a wagging tail or a curious cat. Puppies and kittens can chew and fry electrical cords that be a fire hazard. Here are a few ways to be prepared to keep your pets safe from fire dangers.

• Install plenty of smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors in your home.
• Check your smoke and carbon dioxide detectors regularly and change their batteries at least twice a year. 
• Invest in monitored smoke detectors. A monitoring smoke detector will notify a fire department if a fire develops while you are away from your home.
• Post stickers on your door and windows to alert fire fighters that there are pets in the household. Put information on these notes that describe how many and what kind of pets are living in the home.
• Make sure your pets wear a collar with identification tags and have a microchip implanted. Taking these precautions can avoid the heartache of a lost pet during these times of chaos.
• Create an evacuation plan for your family and pets. Make sure everyone in your family knows the escape routes.
• Keep leashes, pet carriers and treats by an exit. You will need these to help evacuate your pets during a fire.

Unfortunately, we can never prevent or predict when and if a fire will happen, the most important thing we can do is be prepared!