Preparedness And Planning Can Keep Pets Safe In the Case Of House Fires

House fires are one of those realities folks fear but don’t necessarily think could actually happen to them. Unfortunately, your home could be one of the hundreds of thousands that are effected by house fires every year in the United States. In the event of a house fire, the first priority is safety, your own, your family’s and your pets’. According to the American Red Cross, over 500,000 pets are effected by house fires every year.

The best way to keep your furry (or scaly, or feathered) family members safe is to have them covered in your family’s fire-safety plan. Have food, any medications, spare leashes and carriers ready in case you need to evacuate. It’s also vital to have a pre-chosen place or places to evacuate to, and one that includes pets, whether it’s an emergency shelter, hotel, or a relative’s house.

House fires are sometimes even caused by pets—some play with stove knobs and turn the stove on, for instance, and cats and other tailed critters can knock over candles. If your pet can reach the stove knobs, it is generally recommended to take these off when you are not at home, or keep your pet from accessing the kitchen when unsupervised. Candles and other sources of open flame should never be unattended.

Another important and easy way to help protect your pets is to place an alert sticker in your front or door window – like the ones Floofins & Co. offers to new clients – that allow you to quickly provide fire-fighters information about the kind and number of pets in your home. If you’re not at home when a fire breaks out or are incapacitated as a result of a fire, the information on this sticker will allow firefighters to know to look for the animals in the house. Also, if you are home when the fire happens, and you and all your family, pets included, get out before emergency workers and firefighters arrive, make sure you write “Evacuated” across the sticker so they know you’ve gotten out.

With some planning and preparedness you can make the best of an awful situation and keep your whole family safe in the event of a fire.

For more information about fire safety for your pets, check out the American Red Cross’ page about pet safety as linked above, and ASPCA’s page on the same.