Pets are Family Too
3/18/2020 (Permalink)
Disaster can strike at any time without warning. In the case of a fire, the most important question? "Is everybody out?" This is a question where some in your home may not be able to shout out "I'm here!"
A pet's reaction to an emergency such as a fire can vary. Naturally, due to our four-legged friends being close to the ground, they are in the zone with the most fresh air. So they are safe, right? Not always the case. As we practice our fire safety plan with our family, we decide and make routine of the safe way to escape. Our pets however, tend to resort to a 'fight or flight' survival, which leads them toward having to hide in hopes to survive.
As the firemen arrive and start to put out the flames, they will try to search for your pets if you tell them that they are still inside. Unfortunately, pets are very good at hide and seek, which makes the search difficult, and sometimes it's too late by the time they are found. But there is some hope for a pet that is found and still hanging onto life.
Pets breathe the same air we do, and can breathe the smoke as well as we can. And just as we need concentrated oxygen if we breathe in smoke, they do too...
SERVPRO of Eaton County, Clinton and Gratiot Counties, Lansing & Holt has been helping communities in need with this, and giving hope for our four-legged friends. We have been donating WAG'N O2 Fur Life Pet Oxygen Masks to local fire departments who do not have this tool in their tool box of life safety. The O2 Fur Life kits have three sizes of masks that are designed for a dog and cat's face, and are completely reusable! These kits help the fire departments to have tools that may not be very high on their lists of immediate needs, based on their budget.
If you would like to know if your fire department has a pet oxygen mask, give them a call. If they don't, give us a call so we can contact them and ask if they would like a kit. We at SERVPRO of Eaton County, Clinton and Gratiot Counties, Lansing & Holt understand and respect the value of life and property, and are here to help in every way possible, including making sure that your four-legged family members have the best chance in the worst time!