LAKE CHARLES, La. (KPLC) – If you have a furry loved one at home, National Pet Fire Safety Day is set aside to learn about how you can keep your pets safe in an emergency.
“Missy, go to bed, sit, stay,” Houston River Fire Chief Dean Lappe said as he trained his dog.
Training your pet is one of the ways you can protect your pet during a fire.
“It’s probably one of the safest things is teaching them to sleep in one area of the house and keep that area adjacent to an entrance or an ingress where they are easily accessible,” Chief Lappe said.
According to the National Fire Protection Association (NPSA), approximately 750 accidental home fires are started due to pets.
Chief Lappe shared a big tip that can be helpful if ever caught in an emergency.
“When the fire department shows up on scene and there’s a frantic person, male, female, doesn’t matter, they are in full panic mode and hollering at me, ‘That’s my baby, my baby,’ turned out ‘baby’ was a ferret. So let’s call our dogs dogs and cats cats,” Lappe said.
It’s important to work with your fire department if you know your pet is inside the home during a fire for the safety of both them and your pet.
“We will be going to risk ourselves to a point to go find your animal, but we have to know last known location, we have to know upfront quickly if you have, what kind it is, how big it is,” Chief Lappe said.
Many firefighters receive K-9 CPR training to save those pets who are inside a home during a fire.
Training your pet, keeping objects away and having an escape plan including your pet is one of the many ways you can keep your furry ones safe.
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