Do You Have an Emergency Preparedness Plan for Your Pet? You Should!

Pets are family too, and as such, they need to be included in their families' fire emergency preparation plans. If you have a furry friend, you need to establish a pet preparation plan that guides you and your other family members on what to do in the event of an emergency to ensure that your canine, feline or other pet makes it out of the home safely, too. Some considerations to make when devising your plan are as follows:

• How to keep your pets from causing fire emergencies
• What supplies your pet will need in the event of an emergency
• How often you should practice your pet safety plan
• What to do if you are forced to evacuate

By taking each of the above into consideration ahead of time, you can devise a plan that will better help you respond in the face of a real fire emergency.

Prevent Your Pets From Starting Fires

The National Fire Protection Association estimates that approximately 1,000 house fires are started by pets each year. You can prevent your pets from starting fires by practicing the same safety measures as you would with your children. Remove stove knobs, extinguish open flames, use flameless candles, and secure young pets when you leave the house.

Know What Supplies You'll Need, and Practice!

To increase your response time, have an emergency bag ready to grab and go in the event of a fire. This bag should contain everything your pet will need to stay comfortable and healthy while away from home, such as canned dog food, medications, identifying tags, and the like.

In addition to preparing a bag, practice the plan. Train them to come when you call that way you're not looking for them when you should be running out of the house.

Prepare for Evacuation

Evacuation in the event of a fire is a very real possibility. Have a safe place to where you and your pet can go until it is safe to return to your home.

Your fire emergency plan should provide for what to do with your pet in the event of an emergency. If it doesn't, work with your Farragut, TN, fire safety team to devise an effective plan today.