Pets can unfortunately be the culprit of the fire, on average 1,000 fires a year are started because of a pet. Make sure you keep electrical cords out of reach of pets and remove or cover stove knobs when not home because stove or cook top fires are the most common fires started by pets. You should also consider flameless candles so pets can't accidentally knock them over or start their own tails on fire. Although pets can sometimes be the cause they can also be the fire heroes! There are thousands of stories about the household pet either warning the family or getting the family out during a fire!
Every household should have a fire evacuation plan and should practice it regularly, make sure to include your pets as well! If the pets are small designate someone to carry the pet otherwise have someone set to walk the pet to safety. Have pet carriers or leashes in a convenient location that can be accessed easily in case of an emergency. If you are unable to locate your pet during a fire, exit the house and leave a door open while calling for your pet from a safe area. About 40,000 pets die in fires every year, that number can be reduced if you have a fire plan set out and stick to it.
It's smart to get a Pet Fire Safety Window Cling for your house so firefighters are aware of pets in the house and can look for them to get them to safety. These window clings are especially important if you're not home and can't inform the firefighters of your pets being inside! Update the window clings as you add more four-legged members to your family and if you move be sure to remove the old cling! There are several websites that will send you a free window cling all you have to do is pay shipping and handling. To help firefighters get to your pets when you're not home it's a good idea to keep them in a room or area near an entrance to the house and to leave their collars on them.
To end this on a heartwarming note, several animals that are rescued by the firefighters end up being adopted by either the firefighter who rescued them or even the entire fire house, like the two below! Can't be more of feel good ending than that!