Essential Fire Safety Tips to Protect Pets and Animals in Commercial Facilities

For those who care for animals - whether at home, in a pet store, animal hospital, shelter, or even horse stables at racing venues - the thought of fire can be terrifying. Animals are particularly vulnerable because, when confined, they cannot act on their own to escape a fire. That makes early detection and intervention critical.

The life safety of animals is a significant concern. In fact, the safety of our animals is so important there is even a pet fire safety day in the United States celebrated on July 15th. The day, known as National Pet Fire Safety Day, aims to help educate pet owners on how to keep their furry friends safe.

Protecting all of the lives inside, including pets and other looked after animals, begins with ensuring the fire safety of the building or property. To help protect all the lives at your property, we'll go over the best practices to safeguard lives and understand all the benefits of doing so.

Fire Alarm Monitoring Systems for Large Facilities are Preventative

When fire strikes, the difference between life and death for the animals in your care can come down to seconds. Although simple/conventional solutions (like home smoke detectors) work in a household context, you can't expect the same in a large commercial facility.

Whether you manage a home full of pets, run a busy animal shelter, or operate a large veterinary hospital, the risks of fire are always present. Without a remote fire monitoring system, the situation can quickly grow out of control.

For example, most facilities are left unattended for long periods, especially during non-operating hours. Simple smoke detectors, while helpful, only work if someone is there to hear them. This means if a fire starts when the building is empty, the fire could continue burning unchecked for minutes or even hours before someone notices. By then, the flames could have spread far enough to endanger not only the animals but the entire building.

The Risk is Higher at Night

The risk of loss is especially high at night when there are no staff members on-site. Animals, unlike people, cannot always escape or call for help. Many will panic, hide, or become trapped, further increasing the urgency of a quick response.

Facilities that house animals - such as kennels, zoos, and shelters - need a system that can offer real-time alerts and the ability to quickly dispatch emergency personnel.

Without this type of system, much more is left to chance. This places the animals at risk of injury, smoke inhalation, or worse. This risk is particularly high in facilities like stables where flammable materials such as hay are often stored in abundance. For these reasons, relying solely on traditional fire prevention methods falls dangerously short of the protection required.

Common Solutions to Fire Safety Aren't Enough

Many people and organizations responsible for the care of animals may attempt to solve fire safety issues with standard equipment such as smoke detectors, fire extinguishers, and sprinkler systems. While these tools play an important role in any fire safety plan, they alone are not sufficient.

Smoke Detectors Cause Delays

Many animal care facilities install smoke detectors throughout their buildings, believing this will provide adequate protection. However, if a fire breaks out when no one is around to hear the alarm, valuable time is lost before emergency responders are notified. This delay can result in significant damage and put the lives of all the animals inside at risk.

Sprinkler Systems Create Damage

While sprinklers can control fires to a degree, they also pose their own problems. Water can harm animals and cause additional damage to facilities. Furthermore, sprinklers do not provide immediate notification to facility managers or emergency personnel, which is essential in animal care environments.

Fire Extinguishers and Drills Can't Help Remotely

Tools like fire extinguishers can be effective tools when someone is on-site and able to act quickly. However, in the absence of people, these measures become useless. Many animal facilities are left unstaffed for hours at a time, during which a fire could go unnoticed.

These methods are reactive rather than proactive. They require the presence of a person to respond to an alarm and take action. As a result, facilities that rely on these tools alone often find that they are insufficient, especially for environments that are rarely occupied around the clock. This is why many facility owners and managers end up looking for better options.

Fire Safety Tips for Protecting Your Animals

While a fire monitoring system is essential, there are other ways to enhance animal/pet fire safety. By following some simple steps and safety practices, you can significantly reduce the risk of fire in your home or facility.

• Install and Test Smoke Detectors Regularly: Make sure all animal housing areas are equipped with working smoke detectors, and test them on a regular schedule. Replace batteries as needed to avoid any gaps in protection.
• Develop an Evacuation Plan: Create a clear plan for evacuating the animals in your care, including designated staff roles and safe zones where animals can be moved to in case of an emergency. Practice this plan regularly to make sure it can be executed smoothly.
• Minimize Fire Hazards: Take steps to minimize potential fire risks. Keep electrical cords away from areas where animals can chew on them, and make sure that heaters and other equipment are properly maintained and kept clear of flammable materials.
• Create Fireproof Zones: For larger facilities, think about setting up fireproof or fire-resistant zones. In stables or barns, keep hay and other flammable materials away from where animals are kept. Store these materials in well-ventilated areas to lower the risk of spontaneous combustion.
• Plan for Unattended Hours: Make sure your fire safety plan includes protections for hours when the facility is unattended. This could include installing automatic fire doors, setting up cameras, or arranging for local firefighters to regularly inspect your property.

By incorporating these fire safety tips for pets into your operations, you can create a safer environment for the animals in your care. But these steps alone won't provide the level of protection that a dedicated fire monitoring system can offer...

What is the Best Fire Safety Solution for Animal Facilities?

When it comes to keeping animals safe from fire, the best solution is one that provides continuous, real-time monitoring and immediate alerts. You need a system that can monitor all fire detection points in the building and give you a complete overview at all times - even when you’re off-site. Ideally, your system should offer:

• Centralized Monitoring: A fire alarm system that connects all detection points to a central hub will help you consolidate all data in one place. This way, you can monitor every room and area of your facility from a single station, giving you a clear overview of the entire building.
• Remote Notification: Having a system that can send immediate alerts to your phone, computer, or another device is essential for real-time response. This means you won’t need to be physically present to respond to an emergency, which is crucial for facilities that are left unattended for periods of time.
• Multi-Path Communication: The system should offer multiple communication methods to ensure that alerts are always sent, even if one method fails. This might include cellular networks, radio frequencies, and internet-based communication to avoid gaps in response.
• Customizable Alerts: Being able to customize the system to prioritize certain alerts, such as fire alarms over general maintenance issues, can help you respond faster and more effectively. For example, if an alarm goes off in the kennel area of your facility, you’ll want to know immediately.
• History and Reporting: Your fire alarm system should include a comprehensive log of all past events. This will allow you to review incidents and identify patterns, helping you take steps to prevent future occurrences.

This setup provides the real-time, around-the-clock monitoring required to keep animals safe, even when facilities are left unstaffed. It offers flexibility, control, and peace of mind, allowing you to focus on the animals rather than worry about potential fire hazards.

Protect Your Animals with a Master Station

Digitize offers several solutions that meet the needs of large animal care facilities looking for a comprehensive fire monitoring system. For example, the System 3505 Prism LX is a master station designed to centralize all monitored data, providing an organized, one-stop view of your entire facility. You can monitor alarms for fire, security, and other systems from one central location, allowing for a coordinated response to any emergency.

The Prism LX also offers SMS Text-2-Cell, an option that transmits alarm data to designated recipients via text messages. This feature allows you to receive critical fire alerts no matter where you are, so you can respond quickly even when you're not physically present at the site.

This fire monitoring system features multiple communication paths for improved reliability. Whether using cellular networks, radio signals, or internet connections, your system will keep sending alerts no matter the conditions. This multi-path communication is especially useful for facilities in rural areas or large campuses that might face connectivity issues with standard systems.

By choosing a Digitize solution, you're getting a reliable and effective fire monitoring system that is customized to your facility's specific needs.

Be Sure Your Animals are Safe from Fire

Fires are unpredictable, but your fire safety system doesn't have to be. Protect the animals in your care by upgrading to a comprehensive fire alarm monitoring solution from Digitize. The System 3505 Prism LX and other Digitize products offer the real-time monitoring and instant alerts necessary to respond to fire emergencies quickly and effectively.

Don't wait until it's too late - contact us today to learn more about how we can help protect your facility and the animals who depend on you.

Call 1-800-693-0351 or email info@digitize-inc.com now to protect your animals.