Today is National Pet Fire Safety Day. This infographic from dvmmultimedia.com offers some tips to keep your pet safe from fire hazards.
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Have A Plan
Don’t wait until a fire hits to throw an escape plan together. Have a meeting with all members of the household to determine an escape route. Ensure everyone knows pet carrier location to speed up pet evacuation.
Ensure all pets have identification readily visible in the event they escape. I recommend microchipping pets. If your pet has a chip, be sure the contact information is up to date.
To help first responders, place pet finder stickers in a spot that’s easily visible to those outside. This will alert first responders there may be pets inside, and how many pets to check for when evacuating the premises.
The In Case of Emergency Pet Finder Sticker Kit is a good option, or there are some online form options available.
Prepare A Survival Kit
When a fire occurs, plan ahead since you might be homeless for hours, or even days. Prepare an emergency kit for you and your pets with supplies to last several days.
Pet-Proofing
One important aspect of pet guardianship is pet-proofing your home, as the infographic above states. Having pets is very similar to parenting toddlers, the safety measures are almost identical.
Dangling electrical cords can be very tempting for pets to chew on. A pet can be electrocuted by chewing on a wire that’s plugged into an outlet. There are products such as the PetCords line specially made to protect cords of various sizes from chewing.
To prevent pets from touching stove/oven knobs, products like the Safety 1st Clear View Stove Knob Covers work well..
Check Smoke Alarms Regularly
Keep your smoke alarms in good working order. Designate a set time annually to replace alarm batteries.
Many furnishings lost in a fire are replaceable. Advanced planning will keep you and your irreplaceable pets safe in an emergency.
Written by Karen
