According to the American Kennel Club, an estimated 500,000 pets are affected by home fires every year. Nearly 1,000 of these home fires are accidently started by the homeowners’ pets. The stove or cook top is the most common piece of equipment involved in fires started by pets.
Taking steps to keep your pet safe from fires is an important part of being a responsible pet owner.
Fire Prevention Tips:
- Do not leave open flames – like candles, fireplaces or cooking appliances – unattended. Curious pets will investigate.
- Use candles that contain a light bulb rather than open flame.
- Remove the stove knobs or use knob covers when you are not home.
- Do not use a glass water bowl on a wooden deck. The sun can heat the wood beneath the glass enough for it to ignite.
- Keep collars on your pet at all times and store leashes in an easily accessible location in case firefighters need to rescue your pet.
- Have your pets sleep near you or near your emergency exit during the night so that you can easily locate them if you need to escape to safety during a fire emergency.
- When leaving pets home alone, keep them in areas or rooms near entrances where firefighters can easily find them.
- Since pets left home alone will be unable to escape a fire by themselves, consider installing monitored smoke detectors which are connected to a monitoring center that will contact emergency responders even when you’re not home.
- Attach a pet alert window cling to a window in the front of your home. Make sure to indicate the correct number and type of your pets.
- Tell firefighters right away if there are pets trapped in your home. Do not go back inside once you are safely out.