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Every year, 40,000 pets die in house fires every year and 1000 fires are caused by pets. Saturday 15th July is National Pet Fire Safety Day. Do you know how to keep your pet safe in your home? Do you have a plan in place in case the worst happens and you need to evacuate your home?
Matt Deavenport on Flickr
Keep your home safe
- Never leave candles unattended – a wagging tail or curious paw could have disastrous consequences. To be extra safe, consider using flameless, electric candles.
- Pet proof your stove – If your pet is a worktop explorer, be aware that they could accidentally ignite the hob. Knob covers are cheap and easy to use and could avoid a disaster.
- Avoid glass water bowls – On a sunny day, light could magnify through the glass water bowl and ignite something in your home. Be particularly cautious of using glass water bowls on wooden decking outdoors in direct sunlight. Instead, stick to plastic or stainless steel bowls.
Be prepared
- Easy access to pets – If possible, make sure your pet sleeps in a contained area that is easily accessible from the exterior. This will make it easier for firefighters to get to them if necessary. If they are given free reign of the entire house, it could make it very difficult for rescue services to find them. Instead, have them sleep in one room with exterior door or windows.
- Help the rescue services – Consider displaying a sticker in the window of your home to let emergency services know how many pets are in your home. If you are not there when the fire breaks out, it will let them know that there are animals inside that need rescuing.
- Keep microchips up to date – In case you are separated from your pet during an emergency, make sure their microchip is up-to-date.
Display in window to help emergency services
