July 15th is National Pet Fire Safety Day
Did you know that about 500,000 pets are affected by house fires every year, and that nearly 1,000 house fires each year are accidentally started by pets?
Prevent Your Pet From Starting Fires
- Extinguish open flames
- Remove stove knobs or protect them with covers: a stove or cooktop is the number one piece of equipment involved
- Use flameless candles: cats are notorious for starting fires when their tail turns over lit candles
Protecting Your Pet
- Keep pets near entrances when away from home
- Keep collars on pets and leashes at the ready in case firefighters need to rescue your pet
- Affix a pet alert window cling to a front window and write down the number of pets inside your home, which saves rescuers time when locating your pets
- Consider using monitored smoke detectors so emergency responders can be contacted when you're not home
Resources
https://www.akc.org/press-releases/national-pet-fire-safety-day-prevention-tips-to-keep-pets-from-startin/
https://www.redcross.org/get-help/how-to-prepare-for-emergencies/types-of-emergencies/fire/pet-fire-safety.html