Keeping Pets Safe From a Fire

Pets and Fire

Keeping pets safe from a fire is important. If you have pets you know that they become just like one of the family members. There are approximately 500,000 pets involved in homes with fires each year. Since 88% of pet owners consider their pets to be part of the family it’s important to include them in safety plans.

A few tips to save your best friends

There are some tips that can keep the pet safe at home, the first is to have a security system with monitoring, and this means that the fire and rescue will arrive much sooner than if they are called after a neighbour sees smoke or fire. In many cases, the pets in the house are saved, rather than being trapped in a burning house.

Another tip is to use animal decals on the windows next to the home security decals, this way it will be seen by the authorities should the house catch fire. This is the fastest way to get the pets out of the home when the person or family is not there to rescue their pets. This decal should also have the number of pets that are in the home so that they can be located and brought out of the home.

Pets should never be left alone near any open flames, this includes candles, which can be easily knocked over and fireplaces. Make sure prior to going to bed or leaving the home that any open flames are extinguished, including stoves and radiant heaters.

Check the house for any type if wires or extension cords that might be interesting to pets that could end in electrocution or fire.

Families or single persons with pets should keep leashes and collars where they are easily reached in an emergency and exiting the residence should be practiced. This is important so that should an emergency occur, while the home security system is sending an alert to the monitoring center the person or family and their pets can escape safely.

Include Your Pets in Any Escape Plan

Make an escape plan for the family in case of an emergency including fire. The plan should include the safe removal of the pets. However, be certain to let all family members know that their safety is most important. Never spend extra time looking for a pet instead of getting out of the house. Those few seconds or minutes can mean life or death since fires can spread rapidly. Pets can be easily scared in a fire and may hide under the bed or in a corner. Keep young pets in crates overnight so they are safe.

Keep fire extinguishers in the home and know where they are located. Most fires start in areas where there are combustibles such as in the kitchen. Practice an escape plan with the family by having regular fire drills. Keep an extra leash outside of the home in case you need it in an emergency. When practicing your fire escape include the dog or pet. Train the pet to come when called and always know the location of your pet in the home.

Yours in Fire Safety

Alex

The Shocking Truth About Smoke Detectors And Fire Alarms

Discover What Fire Sprinkler Systems Are The Most Effective Protection Against Fire!

One NSW family thought fire alarms were enough to protect them from fire-with tragic results. Two middle aged people and one young adult lived in the house.
The family was rendered unconscious by smoke inhalation before the fire and rescue could save them. When they arrived, they were able to get all of the occupants out of the house. One survived. One died at the scene, and one died later in the hospital. Traditional fire alarms were not enough to keep them safe.

Discover Why More And More Homes Are Switching From Passive Fire Protection To Active Fire Protection

Fire alarms provide a passive defence against fire: they alert you to a problem, but they do not do anything else to contain a fire. They are passive in their protection abilities.

Approximately 14% of fire alarms malfunction during a fire. Many more fail to work because of user error, ie the batteries have expired, or the device has been unplugged to prevent it from going off by accident. Fire alarms are so sensitive that a little smoke from food cooking on the stove can set them off-leading many people to unplug them in frustration.

Most home fires happen at night, when people are sleeping. It can take several minutes for a family to wake up, get dressed and get out of the house when a fire alarm goes off-regardless of the noise. Those few minutes are all a fire needs to get out of control. The moment a fire alarm goes off, residents are in a race against the fire-and all too often, the fire wins.

In addition, young children are particularly vulnerable to fire. Children under the age of five typically do not understand what they need to do. They will often hide under a bed or in a closet and usually cannot escape on their own.

The handicapped and elderly cannot move quickly without assistance, and may have trouble navigating stairs and fire escapes in the event of an emergency. Many fire-related deaths involve people with medical conditions who could not move quickly enough to get out on their own.

Active Protection: Why Fire Sprinklers Are So Effective

Fire sprinklers extinguish the fire at its source-before it has a chance to grow. Nine times out of ten, one sprinkler head is enough to extinguish a fire.

The flow of water from fire sprinklers is designed to drop the core temperature of a fire past the point where heat can be maintained. The fire sprinklers put out the fire by removing its heat.
Fire sprinklers also reduce the chances of death by smoke inhalation which is the most common cause of death in case of house fires.

Sprinklers are the most effective means of protecting your home against fire. They are more effective than fire alarms, fire extinguishers, and even the fire and rescue. After just one fire, your family will thank you for it.

Yours in Fire Safety 

Alex

“I wish to thank Mr Alan Price for his insightful observations in preparing this article”.