Fire safety is not just something to discuss during elementary school assemblies or new job orientations; it’s a critical conversation to have with your family to prevent life-threatening situations. Odds are you have at least a rudimentary plan for keeping your family members safe from fire and getting them out safely during an emergency, but what about your pets?
Our animals are responsible for about 700 house fires annually–whether that be from knocking over a candle, or dragging a toy near a flame or stove. Additionally, it can be difficult to find and get animals out of a burning house because of their instinct to hide. As a responsible pet owner, you need to have a plan in place to get your pets safely out of a house fire along with everyone else.
- As with all fire safety, your best defense is prevention. Avoid using candles and open flames around pets in the first place; if you really value the ambience, be sure to never leave your pets unattended around a flame. Consider switching to flameless devices–wax warmers are significantly safer, along with battery-operated flameless candles or scented diffusers. Check all of your smoke detectors consistently to ensure they are in working order.
- Minimize the hazards in your home. Hide, cover, or tape down exposed wires that your pets may chew. Cats can accidentally turn on stove knobs when they jump on counters; covering the knobs or removing them altogether when they’re not in use is a great way to prevent stove fires. Keep pets behind baby gates or crated when you leave the house to keep them away from hazards while you’re not home.
- Let responders know that pets are in the house. Most people recognize the child rescue marker stickers that are placed in their bedroom windows to let emergency responders know that they are there. You can get similar stickers to place in windows near your house’s entryways to alert responders to the fact that there are pets inside. If your animals are crated when you’re away, keep their crate as close to an exit point as possible so that responders quickly find them in the event of a fire when you are not home.
- Include your pets in your evacuation plan. Fire drills aren’t just for schools–you should have a plan in place for your family to quickly get out of your home during a fire and practice it regularly. Everyone in your family should know two ways to escape from any room in the house. Place your pets’ collars, leashes, and carriers near a door so that you can quickly grab everything and get out. You may even want to have a go-bag packed and ready near the door with copies of your pets’ medical records and a small store of food and water for them.
- Know your pets’ hiding places. Most animals tend to have safe spaces they go to when scared. Be aware of where your pet is most likely to hide during an emergency so that you can find them and get them out of the house fire quickly.
Once everyone is safely out, be sure to monitor your pet for signs of distress from smoke inhalation or heat. Get them to a vet as soon as you can if they seem lethargic or cannot stop coughing.
