When addressing disaster preparedness with your workers, remind them to include their pets in their family emergency plans. Although it might seem trivial to talk about pets - especially on the sixth anniversary of 9/11 - it's anything but. Protecting the family pet involves more than simply the safety of the dog, cat or other pet; in many cases the very life of the pet owner is at stake.

Why Pet Safety Is So Important

Most of us love our pets like we do a family member. So, in emergencies such as earthquakes, floods or hazardous material spills, in which it's necessary to evacuate the home, getting pets out safely should be part of the evacuation process.

Unfortunately, evacuation plans often fail to account for the family pet. Consequently, the family isn't as prepared for an emergency as it thinks it is. Many individuals have perished in attempting to save their pets or in refusing to evacuate and leave their pets alone in danger during an emergency. In many cases, accounting for the pet in the original evacuation planning would have averted tragedy.

Pet Safety Preparations

Think about what you're going to do with the family pet after evacuation. Make arrangements ahead of time for their shelter and care. In many cases, the pet will have to stay with the family. Few disaster shelters accept animals, other than service dogs trained to assist persons with hearing, vision or other disabilities. Don't count on using local pet emergency shelters because they will likely be overburdened.

So you should call hotels and motels outside your area to see if they will allow you to stay there with animals. Contact a friend or relative out of town. Try boarding kennels and veterinary offices. If you have time when disaster threatens, call for reservations.

Pack a Kit

Pack an emergency kit for your pet, using an easy-to-carry container, and keep this kit handy. For each dog or cat pack these items:

Comfort Your Pets

When disaster threatens, bring your pets indoors, check their collars and be ready to cage them. Pets may sense an impending storm and hide from you. Normally calm pets may become uncontrollable and even dangerous in a storm or earthquake.

In a disaster such as a chemical spill, you may be instructed by authorities to stay indoors rather than evacuate. In this case, bring your pets inside before you seal up the house.

Conclusion

Emergency plans for your pets protect not only them, but yourself, family members and other people who might try to rescue the pet. Don't wait for a disaster before you start thinking about saving your pets. Plan now.

EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS
For College Students

By Catherine Jones

Add Fire Safety 101 to Your Studies

September is also Campus Fire Safety Month in many states. So it's an appropriate time to ask: When your son or daughter went off to college this fall, did he or she find a safe place to live?

Big old houses near a campus are traditional accommodation for many university students. Formerly single-family dwellings, some of these buildings were first converted to student housing a half-century ago. They may have been adequate at the time, when the average student arrived with an electric radio and a manual typewriter. Today's student typically hauls in an array of electronic devices: computer, printer, television, video player, game gadgets, microwave and hair dryer. And typically, the houses have not been updated with wiring to handle this electrical demand.

Besides outdated and inadequate wiring, a historic house might also lack fire protection equipment such as alarms and escape stairs. Early-day insulation and wall coverings may burn more easily than today's building materials. In addition, security and good lighting may be lacking. Maybe you should have a look at your child's new home. If it is not safe, consider helping with a move to better quarters. Other ways to assist would be installation of smoke detectors, fire extinguishers, portable escape ladders and security bars.

The NFPA provides valuable information on how to address fire risks associated with student housing. You can also share this emergency planning checklist with your son or daughter.

Story Tools:  E-mail this to a friend  Print This Post Top