FIRE!!!!!
By April Rosenthal

There have been several events recently where pets have died in fires or have caused their owner to die. Two dogs died of smoke inhalation when the family home caught fire. Then in another incident a woman went back into her burning home to save one of her dogs. She died in the attempt, as did her dog.

How can we, as pet owners, protect our pets during a fire? Aside from the obvious: clean chimneys, do not store flammable materials, do not leave candles, cigarettes or the stove/oven unattended keep batteries in our smoke alarms, what can we do?

Public Relations Chief Germane Friends of the Kansas City Fire Department talked with me regarding the problem. He said, “Cats will get out of a burning building, but dogs will hide and die from smoke inhalation or burns. Dogs are just like children, in that respect.”

There are security companies which will offer fire protection, that is, call the fire department if a fire is detected. Chief Friends stated, “Those stickers that people put on the doors and windows are a great help. They notify firefighters there are pets in the house and they will search for them as they would a human being. If there is a fire, tell 911 there are animals trapped inside. That is another heads up for the firefighters. What ever you do, DO NOT GO BACK INTO A BURNING BUILDING. Losing a pet is a tragedy and losing your life is another unnecessary tragedy.”

Unfortunately, there is no opportunity to register with the fire department ahead of time and make them aware of animals inside the house at this time. Perhaps that is in the future when animal organizations will work with fire departments to register animals for safety. At this time, there are no statistics available for the number of pets who die in house fires each year

I know this may sound silly, but I have started having fire drills at my house. I set off the smoke alarm (not hard with my cooking!) and rush out of the house, clapping my hands and calling the dogs. So far one dog is following me. I am keeping leashes close by to take the others out. Remember, you only have a few seconds to get out of a burning building. Let’s do all we can to get our pets out, also.