How to Protect your Pets in Case of a Home Fire.

8/8/2019 (Permalink)

Here we see a dog outfitted with a top of the line backpack ready to carry her share in the event of an emergency.

We love pets here at SERVPRO and have worked several times with our local Kansas Humane Society here in Wichita because helping lil’ pups and kitters find their forever home just makes sense to us. For many of the homes we visit the animals are a part of the family but many people do not have a fire safety plan for themselves much less their critters. For general fire safety check our blog post to set up a plan for you family and use this post to add emergency pet procedures to your plan. 

Planning on how to handle your pets in the event of an emergency is more than just being a good caretaker, it can also prevent a member of your family or an emergency worker from going back into an unsafe situation. If evacuating your home during a fire here are some steps that you can take before and during to be as safe as possible:

• Stay calm and do not panic, your pet will hopefully take your lead.
• Be sure to call for your pet
• Have a leash or cat carrier easily accessible
• Assign evacuation pet buddies like you would people buddies.
• Make sure your designated meet up area will accommodate your pet.
• Rescue alert stickers tell emergency workers how many and what kind of animals are in your house and typically also have a space for the name and number of your veterinarian.
• Know your pets hideaway spot, if they are scared they will go there. Mark those places on your fire escape plan map
• If you must leave before you evacuate leave a door open or some other kind of outdoor access available. Call your pets name when you get out and with luck they may head for your voice. 

Some general pet related safety tips are: 

• Keep all records of shots and vaccinations in a firebox
• Have an emergency bag handy with emergency veterinarian contact, pets food, snacks, water, medications and toys for comfort.
• Talk to your veterinarian about what your pet might need for a first aid kit. Most kits include cotton bandage rolls, bandage tape and scissors; antibiotic ointment; flea and tick prevention; latex gloves, isopropyl alcohol and saline solution. A pet first aid reference book is also a good idea.
• Keep lit candles away from areas a pet can access and start a fire
• Be aware and take measures for any stove-top or oven control knobs pets could possibly turn
• Microchipping your pet is a more permanent form of identification in case you lose track of them

While there is no 100% way to stay safe taking fire prevention and being prepared greatly improves your chances of avoiding giving us a call to help clean up.