July 15th is National Pet Fire Safety Day. Started in 2009 by the AKC and ADT Security Services, the purpose of this day is to raise awareness about preventative planning and the risks associated with leaving a pet home alone. Around 1,000 house fires a year are started by pets, many of which could have been easily preventable with proper planning and fire safety protection. The following guide will provide helpful information on how to stop pet-related fires from happening in the first place along with actions that can help your pet in the event a fire does happen. Since most pets live indoors, they rely on you to protect them from house fires. Educating owners on pet fire safety could save up to 40,000 pets who die in fires every year.
Pet Fire Safety- Fire Prevention Tips
- Never leave an open flame unsupervised. Cats may try to bat at a flame or rub against a candle, for example, and knock the candle onto the floor. If this is not caught in time the flame can quickly grow, endangering your pet and home. A simple alternative is to use a battery-operated flameless candle.
- The next crucial fire prevention tip is especially important for cat owners: do not let your cat climb in the kitchen. There are tons of hazards from sharp knives to toxic household cleaners, not including extremely hot surfaces, open flames if you have a gas stove, or the ability to play with stove knobs. Don’t let your cat climb on surfaces in the kitchen to limit their exposure to fire-starting hazards. If possible, when gone, close off access to your kitchen so your pets don’t have unsupervised access.
- Lastly, if you have water bowls on your wooden deck, always make sure to use ceramic over glass. Glass can have a magnifying effect which will heat up the deck using the sun’s rays. Ceramic bowls are sturdier and can prevent fires.
How You Can Save Your Pet’s Life
- When you leave your home, try and keep your pet near an entrance or entryway. This will make it easier for firefighters to locate them quickly.
- Use a monitored smoke detector. If they’re home alone, pets can’t escape a fire on their own. These kinds of smoke detectors will alert the fire station the second smoke or flames are detected, instead of just relying on you or a neighbor hearing the alarm and calling for help.
- Subscribe to PetFolio®. PetFolio is a smart notification system for pet parents that allows them to document their pet’s lifestyles and assign Guardians in the event of an emergency. Members get a custom wallet card, keychain card and window cling. Should your home catch fire, a firefighter or first responder, having seen your window cling will know there are pets inside and can alert you and your Guardians by simply texting your “help” code to PetFolio’s toll-free number which will trigger alerts to you and your Guardians. This service allows you to add up to 10 pets and 3 Guardians to each account. Check it out.
- BONUS – Get 50% off your first year of PetFolio with code FIRE50 when you sign up by July 31st.
In the event you are in a house fire and cannot locate your pet, put your safety first. If after calling for them and they do not come, save the rescue for the professionals. If you and your family are outside and your pet is still in the house, leave an entryway door open so that they can run out and aren’t trapped inside.