Every year in America, roughly 500,000 pets are involved in house fires, and they start approximately 1,000 of those fires themselves.
In light of National Pet Fire Safety Day on July 15, here are some tips to help prevent a hot mess and protect your pets.
- Include your pet in your family emergency plan: Assign a specific family member to be in charge of gathering pets and supplies—their leash, carrier, medication, food, water, etc. In case a fire occurs in the house when you’re not home, connect your smoke detectors to an emergency response service. In addition, write your number of pets and their names on a static cling and attach it to your front window to save firefighters’ time when looking for your furry family members.
- Don’t leave open flames burning: Before you head out for summer festivities, be sure to blow out any candles — or use flameless candles, which rely on a lightbulb rather than a flame. (With their twitchy tails, cats and dogs are common culprits of knocking over candles.)
- Pet-proof your kitchen: According to the National Fire Protection Association, a stove or cooktop is the most common piece of cooking equipment responsible for pets starting fires, as they tend to bump into the knobs or turn them on with their paws. It’s best to either cover the knobs or remove them before you leave your pet at home. You might want to de-knob or unplug the toaster and microwave as well.
- Unplug potential hazards: Given pets’ habit of chewing on wires, it’s a good idea to unplug lamps or any other flammable appliances.
- Keep pets in secure areas: To avoid unplugging everything, you could keep your pets secure behind baby gates in areas away from fire hazards.
For more information about fire safety for your pet, please call us at (402) 334-5975.
