Last year I worked with Kidde about prepping a fire safety plan for you and your family. I wrote about how you and your family should go over a plan together. In addition, you should practice that plan so you will be prepared if you need to get out of the house quickly. I mostly was thinking about my wife and daughters while writing that article, but as I think back, did we have everyone in our house accounted for? We have two cats, Galaxy and Judy. They are part of our family. We need to make sure that they get out of the house with us too. We want to help protect them as well. So, if you have pets, do you have an emergency escape plan that includes them? If not, Kidde has a few pet fire and CO safety tips you can use in your family.
A Pet Friendly Emergency Escape Plan
Having a plan helps in stressful moments. Any parent knows how hard it is to communicate with your babies and toddlers. They do not understand the severity of certain emergencies. Trying to explain things to them during an emergency is not the right time. This goes with pets as well. You need to practice the escape plan with your pets to make sure the plan works. Your pet will start to become anxious once a smoke alarm sounds. They might start to hide in rooms or under furniture. You can work with skilled, professional trainers to help your pets learn how to properly respond to alarms.
Things To Help Your Pets During A Home Emergency
Beyond running practice drills with your family including your pets, there are other ways you can prepare for an emergency. Window Clings allow first responders to quickly assess the number of pets in a home. You can add those window clings near your front door to let rescuers know how many animals are inside. In addition, Kidde has low-level carbon monoxide alarms. Pets breathe faster and have smaller bodies, making them extra vulnerable to lower amounts of carbon monoxide. Having a low-level CO alarm will help you to react sooner and mitigate the situation before levels become too dangerous.
You can also manage hazards like keeping electrical cords and space heaters away from them. If you have a pet that is climbing on everything in your house, you can also put those child-proof knob covers on your stove to help prevent your pets from accidentally turning on home appliances. For more pet safety tips and to look at the different Kidde products, you can go to their website at kidde.com.
Please note: I am working with Kidde Fire Safety on a sponsored campaign. I am receiving payment for my work, but my thoughts are my own.