Original Article: https://blog.theanimalrescuesite.greatergood.com/fire-safety-tips-pets/

Your pets are like your kids, and keeping them safe is a high priority. That’s why it’s important to have numbers like your veterinarian, animal poison control, and emergency clinics on hand. Knowing that every minute counts in a crisis, you want to be prepared. Fire safety protocol should be no different. If your home should, unfortunately, catch fire with your pets inside, do you have a plan? Most people don’t, but you don’t have to be one of them. Instead, start strategizing now, should the unthinkable happen.

Protect Your Pets

Not long ago, writer J. Swanson put together a comprehensive piece for The Animal Rescue Site entitled 8 Ways To Protect Your Pet On National Pet Fire Safety Day. In it, they covered some very important reminders for keeping an emergency from turning into a tragedy. They included using pet alert stickers on your doors and windows for emergency responders to assess and other super helpful ideas. After speaking with firefighters and veterinarian staff, here are five more vital tips to add to the list.

Favorite Hiding Places

One of the recommendations was that pet parents keep their pets crated while they’re away from home. Since not everyone uses crates or has crate trained their pets, it’s recommended that you be familiar with all of their favorite hiding places, particularly those they go to when feeling stressed or frightened. This can cut down on the amount of time you or a first responder will have to spend looking for them.

Recall Training

Another stellar idea from pet professionals is that you work on recall training with your pets. This is a valuable time saver that could mean the difference between a severely injured animal and one that is merely frightened or confused. The American Kennel Club offers some good advice for getting your dog to respond the first time, and quickly at that. This life-saving skill is called “reliable recall,” meaning that when you call your dog, you are 99.99 percent sure they are going to respond.

Pet-Friendly Fire Drills

Along with reliable recall, it’s recommended you practice pet-friendly fire drills. Much like Sheldon Cooper forced Leonard to undergo regular emergency preparedness drills in the middle of the night on The Big Bang Theory, you should also familiarize your pets with certain commands and procedures that you’ve determined you will follow in the event of a fire. This could mean using certain phrases and exiting out particular doors or even windows. Consistency is key in training.

Fire Preparedness & Pets

Another way to prepare in advance for a calamity is to make sure your pets are not only microchipped but that their contact info is kept up to date with the chip. If you move or change phone numbers, they can become useless. If the run off during a fire, an up-to-date chip could be your best friend. The other is to have an emergency kit ready at all times. In addition to the extra leashes and harnesses Swanson suggested, which are a terrific idea, don’t forget to include any important paperwork connected to your pets and medication information you might need, just as you would for yourself. A stocked first aid kit for pets is also vital for pet preparedness.

Put together with the tips from the previous article, you and your pets stand a much better chance for a positive outcome during a house fire.

Source: The Animal Rescue Site Blog