3 Ways to Protect Your Pets From a House Fire

About 40,000 pets die in house fires every year, usually due to smoke inhalation. Hundreds of fires every year are accidentally caused by pets themselves. Based on the best guidance from the Red Cross, the ASPCA , and other knowledgeable sources, we’ve gathered some tips on how to prevent these kinds of tragedies as well as how best you and your pet can survive if worse comes to worst.

Seconds Count in a Fire

A single flame from an overturned candle, for example, can turn into a large fire in just 30 seconds. Within minutes it pumps black smoke and noxious fumes from burning fabrics and plastic into the room and raises the temperature to over 600 °F at head level. That’s enough to scorch your lungs and melt clothes to your body. Within just 3-5 minutes, the room reaches “flashover.” Unburned particles in the smoke ignite, the temperature soars, and every flammable thing in the room instantly combusts. The fire rapidly moves through the house until it is completely engulfed.

That’s why you get yourself and your family out fast when you hear the fire alarm or smell smoke, and you don’t go back in for pets or anything else. So let’s talk about how to prevent such a thing from happening and then some ways you can save your pet without losing your own life in the process.

1. Preventing Pet-Caused Fires

Some of the main ways dogs , cats , or other pets cause fires involve cooking, fireplaces, space heaters, lamps, bulbs, wiring, and candles. With that in mind, here are some prevention tips:

• Strictly train your pets not to jump on kitchen stoves and countertops. Remove stove knobs or attach covers or other child-proofing devices to them if this is a problem.
• Consider using battery-powered candles for ambiance or a candle warmer for scent rather than using open-flame candles.
• Install a heat-tempered glass screen on your fireplace to prevent pets from doing things like “fetching” themselves a stick as a doggie toy from a smoldering fire or batting at dimly glowing coals with their cat paws.
• If your pet is a chewer, provide safe chew toys and treats, but conceal electrical cords and train your animal to leave them alone.

2. Preparing Your Pet For a Fire

Given how fast fires can move, it’s important to plan with your whole family what each of you needs to do. Make sure your pet is part of that plan.

• Install smoke detectors connected to emergency responders. Things way, even if you are away from home, the fire department will be notified.
• Make sure your pet’s microchip is functioning, and the database and their collar have your current contact information in case they run from the house and get lost during a fire.
• Put a decal on your front window or door indicating how many animals and what species are inside for firefighters to note.
• Some people might confine their pets to a particular room or to a crate at night so they will not need to search for them in case of an emergency.
• Train your pet to come to you immediately when you call, every time without fail.
• Notice where your pet’s favorite hiding spots are so you can check them quickly on your way out of the house if your animal doesn’t respond to your call.
• Keep their medication, medical records, leashes, and carriers in an accessible place where they can be snatched up as you leave the house
• Decide in advance which family members will grab each pet and their things as you leave.

3. Surviving a Fire With Your Pet

If a fire does break out, it might be in another part of the house. You may not know how large it is, how long it has been burning, or how close it is to flashover. So you can’t assume you have any more time than it takes to get to the door. So take these emergency steps:

• The highest priority is to get you and your family members out immediately.
• Grab up your pets as you go, taking leashes and carriers to control them outside. In a noisy, chaotic situation, they may run away or back into the house to find a hiding place.
• Don’t search for your pets or spend time calling them inside the house. If you can’t find them immediately, exit and leave the door open. You can call into the house from a safe distance to get them to come out to you.
• Do not under any circumstances go back into the house for a pet. Ask firefighters to try to rescue your animals for you. They have the training, fireproof gear, and breathing apparatus to be able to do this better than you can.

Fire Safety Resources

The American Red Cross has a great many useful home fire safety tips . It’s well worth your time to check out their resources. You’ll want to make sure you’re doing all you can to keep yourself, your family, and the four-legged members of your family from needlessly becoming tragic statistics.

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