Some home owners display a "Save My Pet" decal/sticker on their front and back doors to let emergency services personnel know that there are pets inside the residence. Some of these stickers/decals have spaces where you can fill out what types of pets and how many you have.
Some have questioned, do they really work? Truthfully, it depends on the particular fire department involved and the circumstances surrounding the emergency. If it is safe to do so, firefighters will look for your pet. Many of us have pets of our own and we clearly understand that pets are an extension to the family unit. However, it's important to keep in mind that we see people, as the bigger priority than pets in any emergency situation. You can't expect emergency service personnel to run into a burning building or an unsafe structure for a pet once all of the people have been safely evacuated, but the stickers/decals can make a difference if firefighters are doing primary or secondary searches/checks in buildings. If we know in advance that there is a pet, we will be able to safely look for it. Keep in mind that if you live in a house or an apartment and there's a fire, firefighters may come in through a window and not necessarily the front or back door. So, we encourage home owners with pets to place stickers/decals near their windows as well as on their front and/or back doors.
One of our biggest issues with the use of these stickers/decals, and one reason why firefighters may not completely pay attention to them (and it's not because we don't care or are heartless WRONG!!), it is because many pet owners don't bother to remove the stickers/decals when they move or when they no longer have pets. With this mind, there are many situations where firefighters have re-entered an unsafe structure to do one last search in hope of recovering the family pet, which endangers their own safety... only to find out that there was NO PET!!!
We suggest that you get to know your neighbours and try to remain on friendly terms with them. Let them know that you have pets, what kinds, how many and even their name. When you're not around in an emergency, they can help by keeping an eye out for your pet and/or let firefighters know about them. Be sure to notify the company that monitors your home alarm system that you have pets. Pets aren't able to call 911, but the company monitoring your fire alarm system can alert police and firefighters in advance, that there are beloved pets in the home.
These stickers/decals certainly don't hurt and can come in quite handy in case of an emergency but PLEASE REMOVE "Save My Pet" stickers/decals, when and if they are no longer needed. Your local fire department would appreciate it!
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LadderJockey
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