At no time do we want our pets to be put at risk during a fire, where both smoke and flames pose dangers that could endanger their lives.
What should you do if your alarms sound, and your furry (or fin-bearing) friends are also in immediate danger?
Establish a Plan The best way to protect pets if your home catches fire is to include them in your family plan. Sarah Wooten, DVM and Pumpkin Pet Insurance veterinary expert advises leaving these matters up to firefighters; however making sure your pet’s documentation ensures they will be prioritized and brought safely out.
Maja Drodz of Goldsmith Veterinary Clinic in Denver suggests placing a window decal or sign to inform first responders how many people and animals live in your house.
Are you lacking an emergency plan for fire safety within your family? Ready.gov has a handy template available.
W. Wooten has stated that keeping identification tags or microchips updated in case your cat or dog gets lost during a house fire will significantly increase their chance of being returned home safely.
Dependency on these backup plans in case of separation is best, however there are also ways of safely transporting pets out in an emergency evacuation scenario.
Have Appropriate Travel Preparations Ready Wooten recommends keeping several cat and dog leashes handy should there ever be an emergency, such as fire.
“Carry your cat or dog with you when venturing outside to ensure they don’t inhale too much smoke,” recommends Drodz.
Pet owners should create an emergency kit for their cats or dogs that includes extra leashes, first aid kit supplies, a week’s worth of food supplies (litter boxes included), food and water bowls as well as copies of medical records as well as toys.
Carriers also apply to smaller animals, according to Drodz, as carrying rodents or lizards in transport kennels should form part of an emergency evacuation emergency kit.
These kits should also contain food, bottled water and a bowl, along with baby wipes for cleaning purposes, paper towels, heat bulbs, spray bottles and blankets to ease both stress and cold temperatures.
Wooten emphasizes the importance of making firefighting easier by not entering any burning home if your pet was left behind; that should be left up to firefighters, she states.
“Even if your pet did make it with you, as tempting it may be to go back in, doing so could endanger both of your lives,” according to her advice.
Instead, create an exit point by leaving doors and windows open, calling out their name often, and offering rewards as rewards if they succeed in getting out.
Wooten suggests keeping two nets near your tank and several plastic bags that fit the size of your fish in case any slip past the nets or need to be collected in case something does happen to get in and harm their safety.
“That way, in case of a fire, fish can be quickly scooped up into bags for removal,” she adds. Additionally, turning off the lights can help confuse fish so they’re easier to catch.
Drodz agrees and recommends having fish-safe plastic bags ready, filled with approximately one third of water.
“Having a 5-gallon bucket equipped with a lid and air pump hole that plugs directly into a car power adapter would also be helpful,” notes Miller.
Reptiles Need Rescuing
Wooten advises keeping a small plastic transportation container close by that can be used in an emergency for transportation purposes if needed, along with food, medication and supplies to store in it in case something arises that requires prompt attention.
Wooten suggests fireproofing your home to help ensure curious or active pets don’t cause fires in the first place.
She advises against the use of open flames; if any are already lit, keep them supervised, out of reach, and extinguished before leaving home.
Stoves accidentally turned on by pets hitting knobs are another risk in the home; therefore she recommends either covering or removing knobs as a safeguard measure.
Wooten believes this to be the best method of protecting your pet against fires.