July 15th is Pet Fire Safety Day. Did you know that some 500,000 pets are affected by home fires each year? And did you know that some 1,000 home fires are started by pets each year?
If you have pets in your home here are tips from the American Kennel Club on how to protect your pets in the event of a fire, as well as how to ensure that your pets don't accidentally start a fire in your home:
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Extinguish Open Flames - Pets are curious and will investigate cooking appliances, candles, paper piles that can catch fire, a fire in your fireplace, space heaters, etc. Make sure your pet is not left unattended around an open flame. And when you're not at home, keep pets confined and away from fire-starting hazards, especially puppies and kittens.
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Pet-Proof the Home - check your home for areas where pets might accidentally start a fire, such as stove knobs (according to the National Fire Prevention Association a stove or cook-top is the #1 cause of fires started by pets), loose wires, burning candles, etc.
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Keep Pets Near Entrances When At Home Alone - confine them to areas or rooms near entrances where firefighters can easily find them.
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Know Your Escape Routes with Pets - keep collars, leashes, and pet carry cases ready in case you have to evacuate quickly with your pet or fire fighters need to rescue your pet.
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Know Where Your Pets Hide In Your Home - that may be the first place they go to in the event of a fire emergency and fright.
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Use Monitored Smoke Detectors - which are connected to a monitoring center that will call the local fire department.
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Use Pet-Alert Window Clings - Write down the number of pets inside your house and attach the cling to a front window. You can get a free pet safety pack from the ASPCA.
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Update Your Information Regularly - Fire fighters look for pet alert window clings, so make it easier for them to find your pets in the event of a fire.
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Micro-chip Your Pet - in case you get separated during a rescue. At the least, keep ID tags on all your pet collars.
- Have A Family Plan In Effect - in the event of a fire make sure each family member knows who will be responsible for evacuating your pet(s). If you need to evacuate to a public shelter, it's possible they won't permit pets... so know in advance whom you might turn to to keep your pets until you return home.
You can find more pet fire safety tips from the American Kennel Club here.
From the Cottage Market Blog here's a link to 30 infographics that can help save your pet in the event of any kind of emergency.
Pet safety poster courtesy of DVM Multimedia
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