Detroit-area firefighters question the effectiveness of house decals meant to inform firefighters and emergency crews of cats and dogs inside homes.
"We pay no attention to what people put on windows, Sterling Heights Fire Marshal Paul Zalewski tells the Detroit Free Press. We are not going to rely on a sticker. In some instances, the sticker could burn, anyway.
Detroit Deputy Fire Commissioner Seth Doyle says, I think anything helps in relation to an insignia or a decal. But the question is how effective is it? And the answer is that we really don't know. He says he has not heard any reports from firefighters about seeing the decals during emergencies.
Increasingly, pet supply retailers are selling the decals, which are smaller than a postcard and depict the silhouette of a dog or cat in front of a burning home, for about $3. The decals have become fast sellers since the Gulf Coast hurricanes.
Posted: Dec. 15, 2005, 5a.m. EST