In households with pets and horses, we treat them as members of our family, and like their owners they require proactive planning and actions to ensure they can be safely evacuated when wildfires occur.
As of today, getting pets and horses ready for a wildfire just got a whole lot easier! NFPA has developed a fun video and preparedness checklists developed specifically for middle and high school students to get them started making the animals in their lives ready for a wildfire. The video was created for teens to share with friends on social media and encourage them to get involved too!
Youth living in a community with a wildfire risk believe one of the most important contributions they can make to their family is helping prepare their household pets and horses to evacuate in the event of a wildfire or other natural disaster.
Take a few minutes and share these resources with the young adults, teachers and youth leaders in your life, and help give our teens an opportunity to play a role in helping both their animals and family be better prepared for wildfires. Being familiar with what happens in an evacuation, knowing how and when to leave, and building a kit for each animal increases the likelihood that all family members will leave safely and together long before a fire reaches their property.