We live in a wonderful part of the world but the sad reality is that the beauty comes with a price tag, each year we must ready ourselves for bushfire season. While bush fires are not limited to following the rule of a calendar, there is a time of year where the risk of fire is a lot higher. Summer in Australia is often hot and dry, with our wonderful island home also being battered by sea winds, perfect conditions for fires to erupt and gain momentum. From children we are exposed to this reality and taught to appreciate the importance of fire safety plans. We do our best to factor in our fur babies but it’s easy for some of their needs to fall by the wayside in all the stress.
As we face the season together, let’s plan ahead together:
Make sure your pet’s microchip information and identification tags are up to date your current contact information is imperative for reuniting any lost or misplaced animals.
Plan ahead! Know where you’re going, make sure that you have somewhere safe and appropriate to take your pets. Know what you’re taking, your pet should have essentials packed just like you, bedding, food, and any medications are imperative but for more information on what to pack click here.
Be prepared for quick evacuation fire conditions can change without notice, you may not have as much warning to leave as you would expect. Have your pets fire plan pack and any transport carriers/aids ready to go.
Practice your evacuation! evacuating confused animals is going to be stressful enough, so practicing loading pets into carriers and cars will help to weed out any problems that may occur during the process. (NOTE: the evacuation process can also take longer than you may think so a practice run will give you a good idea about how much time you will actually need to allow!)
Keep them close your pets are likely to also experience stress during times of fire danger. When the risk of a fire is high it is a good idea to keep your pets close so that should a fire occur, they are already in a position of safety and they are within arm’s reach for an evacuation.
For the points above to work effectively, they need to be in place long before a fire actually occurs. Proactive preparation and education will always serve you, your family and your pets well.
REMEMBER, while we may see the threat of fire as higher in summer, the truth is that fires can occur at any time, so a fire safety plan is useful all year round.
IMPORTANT!
Always ensure your own safety before the safety of your pets
For Australians it is important to update fire safety plans regularly, and they should be reviewed each year in accordance with any CFA regulations or advice.
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