Fire officials encourage you to consider how your pet works into your safety plans.

KENNEWICK, Wash.-- Wednesday is National Pet Fire Safety Day, and local fire officials are encouraging pet owners to take some time to include dogs and cats in our emergency and evacuation plans.

In the event of a fire, Captain Brian Ellis with the Kennewick Fire Department says if your pets are right there with you, go ahead and get them out, but you need to evacuate the home right away.

"We don't want people to stay inside looking for their animals," Ellis said. "They need to get out, and then they need to let us know when we arrive, where was the last place you saw them. In a lot of cases they will find their way out if there's an available path to do that."

It's also a good idea to keep your pets crated when you leave the home, to prevent them from accidentally starting a fire, and so you can get to them quickly if you have to return during an emergency.

"Sometimes we've seen where dogs have actually jumped up against the side of an oven where the knobs are, and have actuated those knobs just enough to create enough heat on the stove top that it catches nearby combustibles on fire," Ellis said.

Placing a fire alert window cling on a front window can alert firefighters about how many pets are in the home in case of a fire that breaks out while you're not there.

Emergency agencies recommend that you have at least two weeks of emergency supplies on hand for yourself and each family member in the event of a major catastrophe-- and your pets need to be included in those emergency plans. Make sure you have food, water and food dishes, an extra leash, and any medication your pet requires in case you need to evacuate your home during a wildfire or other emergency.

Ellis also encourages all Benton and Franklin County residents to sign up for CodeRed Alerts, which will provide you with the earliest possible notice in the event that your home is placed under an evacuation order.

“You have to sign up, that’s the only way to use it,”said Ellis. “You’ll be able to put in your phone number, your location in the cities, and if there’s an emergency that requires a lot of people to be notified at one time, that’s the best way to do it at this time.”

Code Red is an “opt-in” electronic telephone notification system allowing residents in both Benton & Franklin Counties to be notified personally in the unlikely event of an emergency.  You will be notified by automated telephone message, email, and/or text.

You can enroll for the free system by clicking on the CodeRED logo on your county’s website: 
Benton County: www.bces.wa.gov
Franklin County: www.franklinem.org