Do You Have A Plan For Your Pets In Case Of A Fire?

July 15 is Pet Fire Safety Day so in recognition we’ve put together a few pointers on keeping your pets safe in the incidence of a house fire. The American Red Cross has a page with lots of tips on keeping your pets safe in a fire emergency.

No one wants a house fire—even the idea is scary. One of the best things you can have in your family-safety arsenal is a fire safety plan. Know where you’re going if you have to evacuate your home. Make your furry family members a part of this plan too, including how to safely evacuate them as well.

Some people make up bug-out bags with basic items such as extra clothing, toiletries and other things that they would need in the event of a home evacuation during a disaster. If your family has a bug-out bag it’s a good idea to keep your pets in mind here too. You can include some pet food, leashes, harnesses and any medications your pet might need.

One of the easiest ways to keep your family safe from a house fire is to make sure all of your smoke detectors are in working order. It’s also a good idea to make sure you know how to use a fire extinguisher; they can be kind of tricky.

If firefighters ever need to rescue your pets you can make their chances of success greater if you have a pet alert sticker on your front door or in a front window. These stickers alert firefighters to the number and type of pets in the home. These stickers can be very helpful in the event of a fire when you are not at home; dogs and cats may hide, but the firefighters will know they need to search for pets in the house.

Fires can start in any number of ways, but the American Red Cross estimates that 1,000 fires a year are actually started by pets. According to the Red Cross, pets accidentally turning on stoves is the number one way our furry family members start fires—who knew? If your pet has a proclivity for playing with the stove, consider removing the stoveknobs when you’re not home.

Candles are another way pets can inadvertently set a fire—cats are somewhat notorious for knocking candles over with their tails but dogs are capable of this too. If you’ve got candles lit, just make sure they are out of the way of your floofin. Or consider flameless candles as an option too.

A little bit of preparation can go a long way; when designing your family’s fire-safety plan make sure you include your pets.