It’s important to include any furry family members into an emergency plan if a fire ever occurs and they need to find a way out. Today is National Pet Fire Safety Day.
The Charlotte Fire Department established its K-9 program in May 2020 with its first K-9, Lady Katherine, or “Cat” as she’s most often called is paired with Rick Dunton. In October 2021, goldendoodle Phoenix was paired with Charlotte firefighter Matthew Wiatrowski. The third member of the Charlotte Fire canine team is Captain. A 2-year-old English black Labrador retriever, Captain is trained to detect a variety of liquids that can be used to initiate a fire. Partnered with Charlotte Fire investigator Thomas Goforth, Captain, nicknamed “Captain America”, is a joyful dog with a lot of love.
Millions of people have very special bonds with their pets, and Charlotte Fire has some tips to help plan in the event of a fire.
•Determine an emergency plan that includes your pool
•Practice this plan with the whole household so everyone knows whose job it is to grab the pet and whose job it is to grab the emergency supplies.
•Act quickly when searching for the pet., Know where they like to hide and how to get them out of that hiding spot quickly.
•Households unable to quickly retrieve a pet at the time of a fire, should put a decal or sticker in a front window of the house indicating the number and type of pets in the house. This will cut down the time firefighters spend searching for pets.
•Keep a dog leash near the front door so it can be quickly grabbed in the event of an evacuation. A fire is a chaotic and scary experience, and a dog might be tempted to run amid the commotion.
•Make sure contact information on a pet’s collar and its microchip are up to date, in case they escape.
•Monitored smoke detectors can offer early escape for pets, with a monitoring center being alerted even if people are not home. This will trigger immediate help and increase the likelihood of pets being rescued before the fire spreads.
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