National Pet Fire Safety Day, July 15
Friday, July 6, 2012
By: Connecticut Humane Society

Are your loved ones protected?

The wildfires running rampant in the western portion of our country have made headlines all around the country.  This heightened awareness serves as a great reminder to evaluate our own home safety precautions.

Did you know that an estimated 500,000 pets are affected annually by home fires?  A new data analysis by the National Fire Protection Association shows that every year nearly 1,000 house fires are accidentally started by the homeowners' pets.

The Connecticut  Humane Society urges you to do a safety check of your home to ensure that you are doing all you can to prevent fires.

The following tips come from an article found on the Fire Department Network News TV website: www.fdnntv.com

Prevent your pet from starting fires

~ Extinguish open flames: Pets are generally curious and will investigate cooking appliances, candles, and fireplaces. Ensure your pet is not left unattended around an open flame and make sure to thoroughly extinguish any open flame before leaving your home.

~ Remove stove knobs: Be sure to remove stove knobs or protect them with covers before leaving the house – a stove or cook top is the number one piece of equipment involved in fires started by pets.

~ Invest in flameless candles: These candles contain a light bulb rather than an open flame, and take the danger out of your pet knocking over a candle.

~ Beware of water bowls on wooden decks: Do not leave a glass water bowl for your pet outside on a wooden deck. The sun's rays when filtered through the glass and water can actually heat up and ignite the wooden deck beneath it. Choose stainless steel or ceramic bowls instead.

~ Pet proof the home: Take a walk around your home and look for things like loose wires and other potential hazards.  These items could cause your pet to accidentally start a fire.

Keep your pets safe

~ Keep pets near entrances when away from home: When leaving pets home alone, keep them in areas or rooms near entrances where firefighters can easily find them.

~ Secure young pets: Keep them confined away from potential fire-starting hazards when you are away from home.  Crates and baby gates are great tools to use for this purpose.

~ Practice escape routes with pets: Keep collars and leashes at the ready in case you have to evacuate quickly with your pet or firefighters need to rescue your pet.

~ Consider using monitored smoke detection services: As an added layer of protection beyond battery-operated smoke alarms, smoke detectors connected to a monitoring center help save pets who can't escape when left home alone.

~ Affix a pet alert window cling: Write down the number of pets inside your house and attach the static cling to a front window. This critical information saves rescuers time when locating your pets. Make sure to keep the number of pets listed on them updated.

To get a CT Humane emergency window cling for your home, contact us at info@cthumane.org