Dog Owners: Prepare Your Whole Family In Case of a Fire

Being a dog owner has its joys, but also has its responsibilities. You are the caregiver for that beautiful doggie, and he depends on you for his needs. Some of those needs include: food, water, shelter, and overall safety. One thing a pet owner may not always think of, but should be prepared for, is a fire. You should have a plan set and practice that plan with all your family members, including your dog.

Your well thought-out plan should include escape routes, a meeting point, and individual duties. The most important thing is that everyone gets out safely. So, be sure to go over the safest routes to escape from your home. You may have more than one route, due to multiple stories. If you have an upper level in your home, then a window ladder should be in every upstairs room. My family and I have practiced our routes with everyone in our family, including our dogs, Petey and Harley. This way, everyone knows a little better what to expect during an actual fire. Each individual should have pre-assigned duties ahead of time. This will help with confusion during an actual fire and prevent any more chaos. Having a meeting point will ensure everyone knows where to go. We actually have something we call a safety fire kit. It contains a small first aid kit for both the people and dogs in our family. This kit includes things like bottles of water, meal bars, some dog food in a travel size bag, a blanket, and an emergency credit card. We keep it in a fire resistant container. Now, the fire kit is something we have to help ourselves feel better prepared, but it isn't a necessity.

To prepare even more, I did additional research and gathered information. Of course, the internet has a bundle of information and sites to review, but don't forget that your local fire department is there for you, too. So, I called mine to see what exactly they offered on fire preparation. They informed me about their fire extinguisher training and literature they give out to the public. I then set up a time with them for my family to have fire extinguisher training. Depending on your location, you may even want information on preparation for a tornado, too. Be sure to call your local fire department to find out what kind of training or information they have to offer you.

We have always had fire extinguishers in our home, but one of the things I learned from this training was that there isn't just one fire extinguisher used for every fire. There are specific fire extinguishers for specific fires. There are five classes of fires. A, B C, D and K.

• Class A: Fires in ordinary combustible materials, such as wood, cloth, paper, rubber, and many plastics.
• Class B: Fires in flammable liquids, oils, greases, tars, oil base paints, and flammable gases.
• Class C: Fires which involve energized electrical equipment. It is important that the fire extinguisher is nonconductive with this one.
• Class D: Fires which involve combustible metals or combustible metal alloys (commonly found in chemical lab). The extinguisher must match the metal. It will be labeled with a list of metals that match the extinguishing agent. (they have no numerical rating).
• Class K: Fires that involve vegetable oils, animal oils, or fats in cooking appliances. This is for commercial kitchens.

The kind of fire extinguisher you may have on hand will depend on what's in your environment. If you have any further questions, please contact your local fire department. Now, a portable fire extinguisher can put out a small fire or contain it until the fire department arrives. But, there is a time to fight a fire, and there is a time to not fight the fire. Circumstances that are good to fight a fire: If everyone is out or leaving the house, the fire department has been called, the fire is small and confined, your extinguisher is rated for that specific fire, and you know how use and operate the extinguisher correctly. That would be an ideal time to fight the fire. If the fire is spreading, could block your escape route, or if you have doubt if it's even the proper type of extinguisher to use for the fire, then escape immediately, close off the area, and leave the fire to the fire department.

No matter how well you are prepared for something like a fire, there is always the unexpected and the feeling of fear once you are going through it. Just know that, again, the most important thing is that you, your family and your dog get out safely. Having knowledge and a plan beforehand will ensure that very thing.