It’s Pet Fire Safety day! An entire day dedicated to creating awareness of fire-related hazards in the home and what this means for your resident fur-children.
We all know a lot of our pets are curious by nature and many enjoy counter-surfing (even though we would rather they didn’t!) but this means that if we’re not careful, we could potentially leave them in a life-threatening situation when house fires break out.
Our pets suffer all the same issues as humans do i.e, smoke inhalation, inability to escape, burns etc.
Incidents have been recorded of dogs jumping up at stoves and accidentally turning switches. Overturned lamps, space heaters or candles knocked over by pets are also common causes of house fires.
But how can you hold your pet responsible for a house fire, when your actions could prevent it?
To make sure that you and your pets are safe, Pet Fire Safety Day was created to remind individuals about the potential hazards their household face, as well as to facilitate discussions regarding the prevention of such unfortunate circumstances on a practical level.
If you are a pet owner, whether that’s a dog, cat or anything that can roam around freely, consider practising these activities to keep your four-legged-furries safe and sound in the event of a fire, as well as your human housemates safe from potential house fires.
How to protect your home from fires caused by pets:
- Use flameless candles that feature bulbs as opposed to wicks. If you DO opt for the real deal (with the real flame), ensure pets are never left unattended near the open flame.
- If your dog is large enough to reach the counter with its front paws, remove the knobs on stove switches prior to leaving the house.
- Opt for stainless steel or ceramic pet drinking bowls if they are placed on a wooden deck. Believe it or not, rays of sunshine, when filtered and heated through glass and water, can actually cause the wood beneath the bowl to start burning.
- Pet-proof your home by looking for potential fire hazards through the eyes of a pet. Loose wires, stovetops and piles of flammable objects near items that heat up are all potentially dangerous.
How to keep pets safe in the event of a house fire:
- Ensure pets are wearing collars at all times and that their leads are easily found near the front door. This way, whoever is the first on the scene of a fire will be able to quickly and easily lead your pets to safety. Pets will often be waiting at the door to run out as soon as somebody opens it.
- Provide pets with an escape route in case of fires. A pet door is a great option. Avoid locking pets away in a room where they have no escape option in case of emergency. If you absolutely have to lock them away for whatever reason, try to leave them in a room close to an entry door so that they can be easily found by the first person on the scene should a fire break out.
- Never leave home without thoroughly extinguishing all flames properly.
- Consider installing monitored smoke detectors in your home so that somebody will be alerted if a fire does break out and nobody is at home or aware of the situation.
- Be aware of where your pets tend to nap or hide so that you know where to look if you need to find them quickly.
- Let firefighters know exactly what to look for. Window stickers that provide information on the type and number of pets inside can be incredibly useful in alerting firefighters to the fact that they should also be looking for pets (and when they should stop) if the situation permits.
At Pawfit we believe pets are a precious part of the family, and value keeping them safe, healthy and happy. Once you have pet-proofed your home with regard to potential fire hazards, consider pet-proofing your dogs and cats with a Pawfit device, so you always know where your pet is!
