Pet Fire Safety

7/18/2023 (Permalink)

Pets are the cause of on average almost 750 house fires per year. These fires affecting around half a million pets and resulting in almost 40,000 deaths of pets. It is extremely important to be aware of how a pet can cause a fire in home. Accidents happen, but awareness is key. Your pet is family, so they should be included in your fire safety plan along with everyone else in your household. Pets can be trained to know what to do during a state of emergency. This means that if they aren't within eye view, they can be trained to remove themselves from your home when needed. Additionally, when practicing an escape plan, include your pets in this plan as well.

Some simple ways to make helping your pet escape is keeping your pet near entrances if they are kenneled so that fire fighters have easy access to them upon entry. Provide a list that fire fighters have access to on your windows or doors that include the number of pets and their names. 

There are ways to prevent your animals from causing a fire. Candles should be small so if knocked over they will go out easier, or even having a flameless candle or a wax melter. Keep space heaters out of the way so they can't be knocked over easily. Stoves are most common source of a fire when it pertains to fires caused by pets. Sometimes household objects can knocked over onto a hot stove or the stove knobs are turned. Cats are notorious for turning knobs on stoves or knocking over candles.

The best thing that any homeowner or tenant can own is a fire extinguisher that is easily accessible! No one ever thinks a fire can happen to them, but it happens a lot more often than people think! Being prepared is extremely important!