[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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