Fire Safety... Seriously

Gainesville firefighters pet a dog rescued from a house
fire Monday morning. (Courtesy of Gainesville Fire Rescue)
from Ocala Star-Banner 3/21/11

We got an email from LRRoF that one of our foster parents Chris (who fosters ALOT of dogs) lost his home and car and one of his foster dogs Mowgli (RIP) in a terrible fire but he and his room mate and some brave firefighters managed to save the other 7 doggies. The pups were unconscious from the smoke and had to be carried out and revived with oxygen by the Gainesville Fire Department. Momma was doubly impressed that they had special oxygen masks made for doggies donated by a community member. You can read the news paper article here.
Momma & I have not met him but we know what it is like fostering one dog and to have 6 in addition to your own must mean he is an awesome dude.  We feel terrible for the foster parent and donated a little of my bone monies to a fund to help him get on his feet again. I know money is tight for lots of folks right now but if you would like to donate even a couple of bucks, the fund is here.

Fire Momma! Help! Put it out!

This tragedy has made us think a lot about what we can do to make things safer because frankly I am pretty scared of fire. I mean, one time my snack was on fire (see pic) and I had to yell and scream for momma to put it out! So I thought we would share the safety tips we came up with.
1. Check your smoke detectors often! Personally, as a chicken hound who gets very 'alarmed' by the sound, I have asked momma to test it while I am outside but she told me to suck it up because she is pretty forgetful and better just do it while she is thinking about it.
2. Have an escape plan for all of your family members and a meeting place outside. Momma is worried she won't have a leash and I will bolt because I am scared so she is thinking on a plan for that (what can I say, she is a worrier!).

3. Fire extinguishers! Of course you should always call 911 and if it is more than a small contained fire, just get out. Also, they only help if they are immediately accessible and you know how and when to use them. When in doubt, get out!
 4. You can get these free stickers from ASPCA that let the firefighters know there are doggies in the house. Momma got one ages ago but never put it up until today! So lazy!
5. Does your local fire department have pet oxygen masks? Some communities have them through donations. Momma is gonna find out if our fire fighters have them and if not she is gonna try to get some neighbors to pitch in for them. You should ask your local fire department too. If they need them, then maybe you can help get some for use by your local department (link opens pdf).
If you have any other helpful tips as far as keeping us dogs safe in the event of fire please share!