Please have a Fire evacuation plan

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Sheila & Beau GA & Jeddie GA

Sheila & Beau GA & Jeddie GA

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The other night we had to evacuate my building because the building next door was on fire - an extra alarm fire. We decided it was a wise precaution because that building is about 15 feet from ours and the wind was blowing toward us.

I tell you that having to drop everything and pack up 4 cats and get them down stairs from the 3rd floor (no elevator) is NOT fun. I took Jeddie and Beau down first, because I could not catch Leanne or Ariel, and moved my car, which was right next to the section on fire with just about 6 feet and a chain-link fence separating it. I could feel the heat. Then I went back up to get the other two and realized I had left the carrier in the car! I ended up putting them in pillow cases. That was after catching them. They were both freaked out. Luckily it wasn't our building on fire or they would never have survived because it took too long to catch them.

All's well that ends well - for us. A large section of the other building was destroyed. All the people are fine, and I hope the pets that lived there all got out too.

However, I was not prepared. I have to have a plan for getting myself and all four cats out at once in 5 mins or less and down the stairs from the third floor. I am planing on getting a hand truck and bungee cords and a folding crate or carrier I can put two cats into, strap it and my large carrier with the other two in it onto the hand-truck and wheel it out. I still have to catch them, so I have to plan that better. You can't think in an emergency like that and seconds count. I will come up with a way to herd them into one room where they can't get under a bed or dresser. Close off rooms. I may even get a net of some kind. My biggest problem is furniture they can get under and I can reach them.

I will come up with a plan and write it down, maybe even practice it. And I urge all of you to do the same. Especially those with multiple cats/pets. You may get only one chance. Firefighters, once they arrive on the scene, will clear the building and they will NOT let you stay for ANY reason including catching a hiding pet. They will pound on your door,scaring your animals even more. Their job is to get YOU and other humans out safely. I know this from a fire in my (different) apartment building about 15 years ago. It was a small kitchen fire two floors above me, no smoke even in the stairwell, but they would not let me stay to get my other cat who was terrified by all the shouting and banging. Luckily, the fire was put out in minutes and my apartment was fine.

Please, think up a plan and make sure you have what you need to get your cats (dogs, birds, etc) out safely.
 
4 pillow cases with something to tie them up all separately sounds good to me! You would carry them like a Santa clause with his bag of gifts. Pet crates and carriers would only be bigger, heavier and takes longer to put the cats in!
 
Sheila - this is EXTREMELY important! Glad you all made it out safely, but it certainly gives everyone something to think about. The pillow case used to be my transport to the vet, years ago. I agree, the carriers would be bulky, heavy and somewhat cumbersome, but would offer additional benefit at the other end, if you had to go to a hotel or a friend's house.

I remember following Hurricane Floyd, hearing that you're more likely to get flooded out of your house than burned out of it. Either way, it made me think about HOW I could even fit my multi-pet family into a Honda Civic! These are definitely things we need to think through and decide how, in theory, it should work. Then, if possible, give it a test drive to see if it DOES work!

Thanks for bringing this to everyone's attention! We may want to see this become a sticky!
 
I've worried about what I would do in case of a fire with 2 cats and a dog...love the idea of the zippered pillow cases or laundry bags for the cats. Thank you for making me seriously think about this!
 
This is a very sobering and thought provoking topic. Thanks!

Pillow cases aren't the best choice. I used to keep one in the car in case I happened on a stray cat. But I had a cat tear through one in a matter of moments. And this was a medium thickness flannel pillow case, not a thin cotton one. Not sure how strong a mesh laudry bag would be, and they have no handle or strap.

What about a good strong duffel bag -- just search "mesh duffle bag" on a site like Amazon. There are part-mesh duffle bags used by scuba divers (so they gotta be strong to hold all that heavy gear). Also there are part mesh backpacks. Or soft sided pet carriers can work if you only have one or two cats, since these soft sided carriers have a rigid floor.

Those of us with multiple cats need a way to carry a bunch. Maybe a backpack and then several duffle/soft-carriers slung over your neck/shoulder with one to either side, like crossed bandoliers? (Imagine Rambo with cat-carrier-straps instead of bullet-straps, LOL) :lol:

another option if you have multiple hard cat carriers is the "strap-a-handle", which you can buy in varying lengths from amazon. You can securely strap two carriers on top of each other -- saw a lady easily taking four carriers this way into a cat rescue adoption fair!

laur
 
Those are all good point/suggestions Laur.

Each of us has to figure out what works for our situation. For instance, I have two other carriers, but I store them in my storage locker in the basement because I don't have room in my condo, so I am looking for something that folds up and can be unfolded in seconds. That's why I think a small dog crate and a sturdy hand truck will work with the crate and one carrier I keep up here stacked and bungee corded onto the hand truck. I have to get this down two flights of stairs, probably by myself. That also leave my shoulder free for another bag if I have time to grab important things like Jeddie's insulin and syringes, Beau meds (these are all in a handled basket already so I can grab fast - except the insulin is in the fridge).

I agree that regular pillow cases might not be a good idea. In a pinch, like I had that night, they worked. If I was going to go that route, I'd probably come up with a "sack" that had a zipper and a strap and make it out of back pack nylon which should not rip from claws. Mesh might be a bad idea because of claws getting stuck, especially getting them into the bag. But even afterwards they could claw at you - remember they will be terrified. I have three long scratched on my arm and no clue who gave them to me or when.

Also, a good flashlight is a really good idea. Mine was not strong enough to do much good. I have an LED lantern, but had to hunt for it when we could go back in, but still did not have power.
 
Do you have an evacuation plan for 21 cats living in a multi story apartment? This has been my worst nightmare! Ive carriers, soft foldable carriers & even 4 ft tall cages, but if there is a fire in the building, for sure I cannot evacuate with all my cats. They will be so frightened once they hear the fire alarm. Putting them into carriers in such panic state with be impossible.
If I cannot leave with my cats, I might just stay there with them, praying the fire will be put off before it reaches my floor. :roll:
 
Do you have a balcony or fire escape so you could catch them and put them in carriers, 2-3 each, and put them out there? This isn't the best scenario, obviously because heat and smoke can still get to them, but it might buy time until they can be lifted down.

I would urge you to not plan on staying with them. That could prove fatal. Learn what you can about surviving a fire - like soaking towels and pushing them up against the bottom of doors, staying close to the floor, putting a wet cloth around your nose to breath through. I was thinking about having a fire mask, but you'd need oxygen too. And have several fire extinguishers in your apartment on all levels.

You have a very difficult situation, but please think about things and make a plan. I am a very calm person and I don't panic, but when my cell phone starting ringing and someone was banging on my door, and I heard the news and then saw the fire out my window my mind couldn't come up with a coherent plan. It was like I knew the things I had to do, but couldn't sort them into a sequence and get going. A plan would have giving me a 1, 2, 3 action to follow.

It is ALWAYS easier to think things through when there isn't an emergency going on.
 
Thanks for the thoughts Sheila & Beau & Jeddie!
Yes, it is difficult in my case. There is no balcony, no fire escape, no back stairway in my building. Like everybody else, I do have a few carrier scattered over the appartment to have them feel at ease when I have to get them in for vet visits but most of the carriers are cleaned & neatly packed away :lol: To take out 10 carrier when there is a fire alarm & gather them will be near impossible.
I did learn a bit on fire escape & how to protect yourself from inhaling the smoke. It is often the posionous smoke which kills instead of literally a fire. We are told to close the front door, use tape to seal out any smoke from coming inside the apartment. It might not be safe to run out of our apartment because there can be smoke filled in the stairway.
One thing I know, if I run away without my cats, I will regret for the rest of life.
 
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