National Pet Fire Safety Day

With all the preparedness put into fire drills, have you taken your pets into consideration? July 15 is observed yearly as National Pet Fire Safety Day. Our pets can cause fires, and can be hurt in fires – taking the time now to put preventable measures in place can save your pets, your home, or both.

To Prevent Fires Started By Your Pets

• Extinguish open flames – your pet will be interested in sizzling grease and candles, or may accidentally knock something over with their tail.
• Consider flameless candles for your home.
• Remove knobs from your stove – they could be knocked to an “on” position.
• If you have a fireplace, ensure layers of safety – screening them in is the best practice.
• Secure wires and cords so that they don’t look like toys and tempt pets to play with them – a frayed cord from chewing could be all it takes for a fire to start.
• Consider replacing glass water bowls – they can heat up and actually start a fire on wooden decks.

To Keep Your Pets Safe During Fires

• While away, keep pets in the main living area for easy rescue.
• Secure young pets when away to help avoid fire hazards.
• Invest in fire alert window clings – they will notify firefighters how many pets are in the home.
• Know which family member is responsible for each pet. Who is grabbing them? Who is getting their carriers/leashes?
• Know where your animals hide normally – this will likely be where they retreat during a fire.
• If you exit during a fire and are unable to find your animal, open the door normally used and call for them to come outside.
• When practicing fire drills, practice both taking your pets with you and leaving the door open and calling for your animals.

For more safety tips and information visit the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission or the National Council on Fireworks Safety.

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Photo: Lottie via flickr.