Photo courtesy Jake the Fire Safety Dog
We provide our pets food, attention, medical care, and love. In exchange, they offer companionship, protection, enjoyment, and their own love for us. For all they have to offer, they must rely on us for protection from harm.
Did you know pet poisoning cases dramatically increase around Valentine’s Day? Some well-intentioned gifts actually can be toxic for pets.
The E.S.C.A.P.E. Fire Safety team and Jake the Fire Safety Dog offer some common causes of pet poisoning along with tips to keep your pet safe:
Roses: Although roses don’t often cause serious poisoning beyond gastrointestinal upset, there’s risk for trauma to the mouth and paws from the thorns. Additionally, if a large enough portion of the rose head or stem is ingested, a bowel obstruction may result.
Lilies: A beautiful but deadly alternative to Valentine’s Day roses is a fresh bouquet of Lilies. The toxin can be found in the petals, leaves, pollen, or even the water in the vase. Lilies are extremely toxic to cats and cause acute kidney failure within one or two days of exposure. If not treated, the exposure and ingestion will likely result in death.
Chocolate and cocoa: The classic Valentine’s Day treats can be toxic to pets. Chocolate and cocoa contain theobromine, a chemical similar to caffeine that’s highly toxic to dogs and cats. The darker or more concentrated the chocolate, the more theobromine it contains. Therefore, the most dangerous chocolates are baker’s chocolate, semi-sweet chocolate, and gourmet dark chocolates. Ingestions of small amounts of chocolate may cause mild vomiting and diarrhea. Larger amounts can cause severe agitation, abnormal heart rhythms, tremors, seizures, collapse or eventually death.
Xylitol: Xylitol is a commonly used and naturally occurring sugar substitute. It can be used alone or in combination with aspartame or other sweeteners and is used in many sugar-free chewing gums, and baked goods. Around Valentine’s Day, beware of its use in breath mints, colorful candy presents or sugar-free cake or muffin mixes. Xylitol may cause a life-threatening drop in blood sugar as well as liver damage in dogs. Within 10-15 minutes of ingestion, dogs may develop hypoglycemia, lose coordination and start vomiting. Collapse and seizures may quickly follow. In rare cases, these signs won’t appear until several hours after ingestion.
Other items to avoid feeding to your pet include:
- Alcoholic beverages
- Coffee (grounds, beans, chocolate covered espresso beans)
- Moldy or spoiled foods
- Onions or onion powder
- Fatty foods
- Salt
- Yeast dough
- Macadamia nuts
- Raisins and grapes
If you suspect a poisoning situation involving your pet, contact your local veterinarian, a local emergency veterinary service or the ASPCA National Poison Center at (888) 426-4435 or the Regional Poison Control Center at (800) 222-1222 for poisoning involving people.
The smell of a cake baking in the oven or a tasty soup simmering on the stovetop is difficult for both children and adults to resist. However, each year over 486,000 individuals in the U.S. and Canada are seen in emergency departments, minor emergency clinics or physician’s offices for the treatment of a burn injury due to cooking, hot liquids, grease, food, tap water and steam.
Most scald burns occur in the home and are typically related to everyday activities such as cooking, eating and bathing. They often occur to young children because of a lack of adult supervision and a failure to follow safe practices.
That’s why National Burn Awareness Week, observed the first full week in February, is designed to teach kids how to be responsible for their personal safety and to increase family awareness of potentially harmful situations in homes throughout the community where you live.
“Children under the age of five are 2.4 times as likely as the general population to suffer burn injuries that require emergency medical treatment.” according to Firefighter Michael McLeieer of the non-profit fire safety charity E.S.C.A.P.E. Inc. “Young children cannot understand the potential dangers of things that can burn them. Today, 96.8% of those who suffer burn injuries will survive. Unfortunately, many of those survivors will sustain serious scarring, life-long physical disabilities, and adjustment difficulties,” said McLeieer.
Facts about burn related injuries:
- The primary causes of burn injuries include fire-flame, scalds, electrical and chemicals.
- Hot water scalds are the leading cause of burns to young children.
- Men are more likely to be burned than women (68% males and 32% females were seen at a burn unit).
- Most of the injuries occur in the home (73%) followed by work (8%).
- Tragically, children, the elderly, and the disabled are especially vulnerable to burn injuries, and almost one-third of all burn injuries occur in children under the age of 15.
- Young adults ages 20-29 have a probability of a burn injury that is roughly 1.5 times the risk of the general population.
Prevent burns and scalds in the kitchen:
- Place objects so that they cannot be pulled down or knocked over.
- Turn pot handles away from the stove’s edge.
- Use dry oven mitts or potholders. Hot cookware can heat moisture in a potholder or hot pad, resulting in a scald burn.
- Remove food that has been cooked in the microwave carefully. Open containers slowly and away from the face.
- Wear short, close-fitting or tightly rolled sleeves when cooking.
- Have a “kid-free zone” of at least 3 feet around the stove.
- Never hold a child while you are cooking, drinking a hot liquid, or carrying hot foods or liquids.
General first aid for burns and scalds:
- Treat a burn right away by putting it under cool, running water. Cool the burn for fifteen to twenty minutes.
- Cover a burn with a clean, dry cloth. Do not apply creams, ointments, sprays or other home remedies.
- Remove all clothing, diapers, jewelry and metal from the burned area. These can hide underlying burns and retain heat, which can increase skin damage.
- Seek immediate emergency medical care for more serious burns to prevent infection, other complications and death.
National Burn Awareness Week is the perfect time to share this information, develop a fire escape plan, check your smoke alarms, and make your kitchen and entire home safe for those you care for Where You Live!
* Information provided by the American Burn Association, United States Fire Administration and National Fire Protection Association.
National Burn Awareness Week is February 5 – 11, 2017. Please listen to some important burn prevention tips shared on WKZO AM 590 radio Monday morning February 6th at 9:10 a.m. by our founder Firefighter Michael McLeieer.
Members from the Saugatuck Township Fire District and Graafschap Fire Department spent their Saturday morning (December 17, 2016) installing FREE smoke and carbon monoxide alarms at Johnson Village as part of their Community Risk Reduction program.
If you live in the Saugatuck Township Fire District you can request a free alarm evaluation and installation through the web site at www.SaugatuckFire.org or by calling 269-857-3000.
Both the Saugatuck Township Fire District and Graafschap Fire Department are part of the WOTV Operation Save A Life program serving 14 counties throughout West Michigan. If you live outside of the STFD or GFD areas and are in need of a new smoke or carbon monoxide alarm, please call toll free 1-844-978-4400 or email [email protected].
When most people think about the holidays, family festivals and good cheer with friends likely come to mind. What few of us consider is that the holidays also present an increased risk of home fires. Home fires during the holiday season often involve cooking, Christmas trees, candles and holiday decorations. By taking some preventative steps, using common sense and following some simple rules, most home fires can be prevented during the holidays and beyond.
Cooking
- Unattended cooking is the leading cause of U.S. home fires and home fire injuries, with most cooking fires involving the stovetop.
- Stay in the kitchen while you’re frying, grilling or broiling food. Keep anything that can catch fire away from the stovetop, and turn it off when you leave the kitchen, even if it’s for a short period of time.
- If you’re simmering, boiling, baking or roasting food, check it regularly and use a timer to remind you that you’re cooking.
- Create a “kid-free zone” of at least three feet around the stove and areas where hot food and drinks are prepared or carried.
- If you have a cooking fire, just get out! When you leave, close the door behind you to help contain the fire. Call 911 or the local emergency number immediately after you leave.
- If you do try to fight the fire, be sure others are getting out and that you have access to an exit.
- Keep a lid nearby when you’re cooking to smother small grease fires. Slide the lid over the pan and turn off the stovetop. Leave the pan covered until it is completely cooled. For an oven fire, turn off the heat and keep the door closed.
Candles
- Candles are widely used in homes throughout the holidays; December is the peak month for home candle fires.
- More than half of all candle fires start because the candles had been too close to things that could catch fire.
- When burning candles, keep them at least 12” away from anything that can burn (create a 1-foot circle of safety), and remember to blow them out when you leave the room or go to bed.
- Use candle holders that are sturdy, won’t tip over and are placed on uncluttered surfaces. Avoid using candles in the bedroom, where two of five U.S. candle fires begin, or other areas where people may fall asleep.
- Never leave a child or pets alone in a room with a burning candle.
- Consider using flameless candles, which look and smell like real candles.
Christmas Trees
- U.S. fire departments annually respond to an average of 250 structure fires caused by Christmas trees. Nearly half of them are caused by electrical problems, and one in four resulted from a heat source that’s too close to the tree.
- If you have an artificial tree, be sure it’s labeled, certified or identified by the manufacturer as fire-retardant. If you choose a fresh tree, make sure the green needles don’t fall off when touched; before placing it in the stand, cut 1-2” from the base of the trunk. Add water to the tree stand, and be sure to water it daily.
- Make sure your tree is not blocking an exit, and is at least three feet away from any heat source, like fireplaces, space heaters, radiators, candles and heat vents or lights.
- Use lights that have the label of an independent testing laboratory, and make sure you know whether they are designed for indoor or outdoor use. Replace any string of lights with worn or broken cords, or loose bulb connections. Connect no more than three strands of mini-string sets and a maximum of 50 bulbs for screw-in bulbs.
- Never use lit candles to decorate the tree.
- Always turn off Christmas tree lights before leaving the home or going to bed.
- After Christmas, get rid of the tree. Dried-out trees are a fire hazard and should not be left in the home or garage, or placed outside the home.
- Bring outdoor electrical lights inside after the holidays to prevent hazards and make them last longer.
E.S.C.A.P.E. Fire Safety reminds you by following these simple yet important safety tips, everyone in your family will have a “fire-safe” holiday season Where You Live!