[Gpdd] Re: Misc. In the event of a fire

Off1Knight at aol.com Off1Knight at aol.com
Mon Nov 3 16:17:59 EST 2003


I have received some email with the topic being signs reporting one or more 
of our little guys is present in the event there is a fire. I am a retired 
police officer and what I am about to write is based on experience and at times 
from being the first emergency services officer on the scene. Be it a policer 
officer OR a fireman, their VERY FIRST obligation is to the occupants of the 
structure ablaze. Sadly and as heartbreaking as it sounds, GENERALLY by the time 
that structure has been entered and checked if that it at all possible, that 
fire has already reached a magnitude where to remain and look for pets would be 
extremely dangerous. So the signs are a nice thought and in some rare cases 
may serve a purpose should the fire be so contained that time exists to search 
for that pet but sadly in most cases our little guys have only us to rely on. 
So from a guinea pig lovers and retired police officers perspective, there are 
some things YOU can do to insure every effort to save them will be utilized. 
Bear in mind, no one can know where a fire will start so in some cases NOTHING 
will save our little lovable fur balls. With that being said I "suggest":

1. Try and keep your little guys home close to a room that leads to the 
outside of your home. I say this so in the event a fire does start and you are 
forced to leave via a door, you can grab your little guy and take him with you. 
The chances of a fire being discovered by you and your calling EMS will almost 
always be when the fire is at a lesser point then when the EMS arrive.

2. Remember the little guys are ar a level you should be at when you exit the 
house, as low to the ground as possible. I say this because unless you have 
been in a fire, you can't know that the smoke truly IS thicker the higher you 
get above the floor. If you are crawling you your chances of finding your 
little guy are far greater.

Finally many of our little guys live in guinea pig mansions and in that case 
you WILL have to reach in and grab him or her. In the case of multiple little 
guys well that IS going to become a serious problem very quickly. So If this 
is the case BE SURE to have a smaller securely assembled (so as not to come 
apart easily...you can with a bit of ingenuity purchase a small cage (not a 
carrier) and secure the top section to the tray section using a drill and with some 
wire ties). Should there be a fire, and you have a couple/few of the little 
guys, they can be grabbed quickly from the HOUSE and EASILY PLACED into the 
small cage since the opening of a small cage is still considerably larger than 
even a large cat carrier. You can then close the tops of this cage securing it 
and if necessary pull it out with you. You can to make this task a bit easier 
rig some thin decorative or window sash chain to the narrow side of the cage to 
make dragging it a bit easier since  you will be on all fours in a heavy 
smoking condition.

Ant that about covers all I can say to help save these little miracles in the 
event there IS a fire. The BOTTOM line is all the signs in the world cannot 
take the place of our love for these little guys. It would truly be unfair to 
place responsibility or blame on an EMS worker to save them. THEY rely on 
us..WE are their parents and if they are in danger, we need to rely on ourselves to 
the best of our ability to save them.

What I have written may seem like common sense to some and the comments about 
our little guys DEPEND on us goes without being said. But I have written this 
in the hopes that some of the readers will get some ideas should the worst 
case scenario befall them. The last thing I will say is this...FIRE moves 
incredibly fast as will YOU have to, so having your little guys ready in the case of 
an emergency can never be taken too lightly. As for the signs, well they show 
the world we care WE need to depend on ourselves to show out little ones WE 
CARE. 

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,

Joseph C. Petrillo, George the guinea pigs father 


   



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