Osceola County Fire Rescue & EMS and Osceola County Animal Services will begin providing pet owners with a tool to keep their four-legged family members safe in an emergency, and alert responders that they live there: pet alert window stickers.
The stickers are available beginning today at Animal Services, which is holding an awareness event. Beginning this month, all new pet adoptions through Animal Services will receive a pet alert window sticker with their new adoption packets. Fire Rescue & EMS will also have them available at their outreach events.
County fire officials say the stickers will provide a visible indicator to emergency responders that pets are present in a resident’s home, becoming an essential part of pet safety for fires and other potential hazards.
“Public safety and animal advocacy groups, including the American Red Cross, ASPCA, and the American Kennel Club, agree that providing a notice for first responders to look for pets when residents aren’t home – a circumstance present in many emergency situations – can make a lifesaving difference,” OCFR said in a statement.
Beginning this month, all new pet adoptions through Osceola County Animal Services will receive a pet alert window sticker with their new adoption packets. Current pet owners who are interested in a pet alert window sticker for their home can pick one up at the Animal Services shelter for no cost.
The stickers feature clear text reading “PETS PRESENT IN HOME”, along with space for owners to indicate the number and type of pets inside.
“We are extremely happy to be able to provide these alert stickers to our community,” says OSCFR Deputy Chief Mike Capranica. “By partnering with Animal Services, we can reach hundreds of pet owners every month through new adoptions alone. We hope that pet owners in our community will take this proactive step toward keeping their pets safe, so that if there’s an emergency we can do everything we can to keep them safe, too.”
