Preparing for a Fire with Pets and Kids

12/1/2022 (Permalink)

If you do experience a fire in your Auburn home, give SERVPRO of Auburn/Enumclaw a call.

Preparing for a Fire with Pets and Kids

When you've got children and pets, fire safety can be especially challenging. Fortunately, there are steps that you can take to help keep your family safe. We'll explore how to prepare for a fire when you have kids and pets, including how to create a plan for everyone in your family -- especially small children and pets -- as well as how to make sure everyone knows how to use emergency equipment like fire extinguishers and fire ladders. Once we're done here, we'll dive into some specific tips on making sure your pet is safe in case of an emergency as well!

Create a Fire Safety Plan

As a parent, you want to keep your kids safe from all the things that can hurt them. But when a fire breaks out and you have to get out quickly, it can be hard to think rationally about what to do next. A fire plan will help everyone in your family understand how to react if there's ever an emergency so that if something does happen, everyone knows what their role is in getting out safely. When it comes to pets, it's also important for everyone in the family -- including children -- to know which doors or windows are accessible for animals as well as people, and where they can go once outside.

Know How To Use Emergency Equipment

Fire extinguishers are a great way to get the flames out quickly. But if you’re not sure how to use one, you may need some training.

Here’s how to do it:

• Read the instructions that come with your fire extinguisher before you use it for the first time and make sure you understand them completely
• Keep your eyes on what you're doing at all times
• Have someone else nearby who knows what they're doing when using an extinguisher as well

Know Two Ways Out of Each Room

If you are unable to exit your home, do not go back in. Smoke and heat can kill within minutes. This is why it is important that everyone in the house knows at least two ways out of each room and where they go when they leave the house (e.g., a neighbor’s or friend’s house). If you have pets, make sure they know how to get out too!

You can also use an escape ladder as a last resort if all other options are unavailable.

Make a Plan for Pets

If you have pets, make a plan for them as well. Locate all their favorite hiding spots and make sure that those are the places where you can reach them in an emergency. Make sure you have a way to get them out if they get stuck. Pets can be extremely resourceful when it comes to escaping from danger, but they might need your help getting over a fence or finding an alternate escape route if their usual one is blocked by debris.

Prepare an Emergency Kit

Whether it's a fire in your home or elsewhere, you need to be prepared before you leave. Pack a bag with the following items:

• Flashlights
• First aid kit
• Important documents (like birth certificates and insurance policies) that can be grabbed on the way out of your home.

If you have pets or kids, include an extra set of keys for them as well so they don't get locked inside. You'll also want to include a whistle so that everyone can find each other easily once outside

Use an Escape Ladder

A fire escape ladder is a tool to help people escape a burning building. It is not a substitute for having an escape plan in place, which should include knowing two ways out of every room and being able to identify the closest exit in any emergency situation. The ladder should be placed in the bedroom window closest to the ground, securely fastened to the wall, and easily accessible from inside without obstructing access by other occupants who might need it as well.

Teach Kids Fire Safety

As you're teaching your kids about fire safety, it's important to explain that smoke rises. This means that if there's a fire in the kitchen, they should not go through a door or window to escape. Instead, they should position themselves as low to the ground as possible and crawl under the smoke until they find an exit or get help from an adult.

You can also teach them that smoke is often trapped around vents, windows and doors—because it gets sucked into these areas by air currents—so keeping low is even more important when escaping from these areas of your home.

We know that preparing for a fire can be overwhelming, but it's important to remember that you are not alone. You have your friends and family who can help you prepare for the worst and make sure everyone is safe in case of an emergency. If you do experience a fire in your Auburn home, give SERVPRO of Auburn/Enumclaw a call to restore it back to its preloss condition!