Pet Safety Device for Home Fire?

[u/sejuuu]

Hi all! I’m a student designing a product for protecting pets in case of a home fire while nobody is around. I have an idea, but would be grateful to get input from the experts!

The product is a smart pet kennel opener/closer linked to an app, but thinking of possibly extending it to doors to give it a more general use. The idea is that if a fire breaks out while people are out, you could open the kennel if it’s in the area affected by fire, or close it to prevent your pet from running into a dangerous area. I read that closing all doors can slow the spread of a fire, so perhaps the ability to remotely control doors while out could help?

Also curious about the protocol for rescuing pets during a fire and general pet safety: - How do FFs approach house fires when pets are inside? - In terms of fire safety, is it better to keep pets in a kennel/confined space or let them roam free? - How big is the risk of the kennel being in an affected area? How does that compare to the risk of a pet running and hiding in a tight spot like under a bed? - Can FFs reach those small spaces like under a bed? - Any experiences rescuing pets in a house fire?

Any insight would be greatly appreciated and thank you for your hard work and bravery🫶🏻

[u/HazMatsMan]

• In terms of fire safety, is it better to keep pets in a kennel/confined space or let them roam free?

In the kennel where they can be found quickly. Letting them out would end with them hiding somewhere they can't be found and rescued, meaning they end up dying of smoke inhalation.

[u/Agreeable_Ad_9987 → u/HazMatsMan]

Eh, not necessarily. I’ve had a handful of dogs and even a couple cats that have launched out the front door when I open it to go do fire attack. Really depends on the animal and the environment in the house.

[u/HazMatsMan → u/Agreeable_Ad_9987]

that have launched out the front door

Yep, had that too, and watched them be hit by cars.

[u/Agreeable_Ad_9987 → u/HazMatsMan]

If your dog escapes a house fire only to be hit by a car…it’s that animals time.

[u/HazMatsMan → u/Agreeable_Ad_9987]

At this point you're just being contrarian, so whatever. I have better things to do tonight than nitpick hypothetical fire situations to win an internet argument.