Pet Fire Safety

Do you have a family fire safety plan? If you said “no”, you’re not alone.  Most households in Canada don’t have a fire safety plan and those who do, often don’t include their pets. Remember that fire can happen in your home, or even outdoors in a wildfire situation, so it’s important to be prepared and know what to do when the worst happens.

Keep reading to learn how to create a safety plan that does include your pet and increase your chances  of being safe in case of a fire.

The first step to getting out of your home safely is to get advance warning and have an evacuation plan.

• Make sure your smoke alarms are tested monthly and replace batteries as recommended by the manufacturer
• Have smoke detectors in every sleeping room and on every level
• Do a walk-through of your home so that everyone knows at least two ways to escape each room and include both windows and doors in the plan
• Choose an outside meeting place close to your home but far enough away to be safe
• Practice your evacuation plan and include your pets.  It’s important that they come when you call because you should never put yourself in danger to rescue a pet

Prevent Fires from Starting. Did you know that some house fires are actually started by pets? Keep these tips in mind to avoid a fire in the first-place.

• Make sure your pet is not left unattended around an open flame, appliance, candle, etc and be sure all are extinguished before you leave the house or go to bed
• Pet’s tails can easily knock over lit candles so use flameless candles or be vigilant when burning candles around pets
• Young pets are especially curious. Keep them confined when you’re not home so they can’t inadvertently start a fire.

If you have a fire, make it easier for the firefighters to help your pets

• Have a sign at your front door that let’s firefighters know how many pets you have
• Keep your pets and leashes near the entrance in case firefighters need to rescue them

Preparation is the key in evacuating safely from a house fire or wildfire. 

Here a couple of checklists to follow:

• Have a go-bag near the door that includes: food, water, vaccination records, leashes, collars, medications, litter.
• In case of a fire:
• Leash or crate your pets immediately. Fire and alarms can cause your pet to bolt.
• Retrieve your to-go bag, but only if safe to do so.
• Leave the house and leave a door open. If you’re not sure where some of your pets are, if you leave an open window or door, they may find their way out plus you can call to them when you’re safely out of the house.