National Pet Fire Safety Day

July 15th was National Pet Fire Safety Day. According to data from the National Fire Protection Association, 1,000 of the 500,000 house fires each year are caused by pets. Simple preventative measures can make the difference between life and death for you and your pup.

Prevent your pets from starting fires:
Extinguish open flames! Pets are curious and will investigate cooking appliances, candles, or even a fire in your fireplace. Do not leave your pets unattended around an open flame. Also make sure to thoroughly extinguish any open flames before leaving your home.

Remove stove knobs or protect them with covers. According to the National Fire Protection Association, a stove or cook top is the number one piece of equipment involved in your pet starting a fire.

Invest in flame-less candles. These candles contain a light bulb rather than an open flame, and take the danger out of your pet knocking over a candle. Cats are notorious for starting fires when their tails overturn lit candles.

Beware of water bowls on wooden decks. Do not leave glass water bowls 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. Use stainless steel or ceramic bowls.

Keep your pets safe:
Keep pets near entrances when away from home. Keep collars on pets and leashes at the ready in case firefighters need to rescue your pet. When leaving pets home alone, keep them in areas or rooms near entrances where firefighters can easily find them.

Secure young pets in crates or behind baby gates in secure areas. Keep them confined away from potential fire-starting hazards when you are away from home.

Consider using monitored smoke detectors. They are connected to a monitoring center so emergency responders can be contacted when you are not at home. These systems provide an added layer of protection beyond battery-operated smoke alarms.

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 is critical information that saves rescuers time when locating your pets.