BACKGROUND

Many animals end up trapped within a home during a fire or other emergency without a way to alert rescue personnel of their presence or location. Some of these animals are not only trapped inside but may be locked in a crate or pen with no chance of escape. In the event of a fire, people frequently risk their lives to not only save family members, but their pets as well. Pets are often considered as a part of the family. Countless individuals are injured or killed during these self-rescue attempts. Even trained firefighters are commonly injured while attempting these rescues.

Fires today spread much more quickly than even a few years ago. Research has shown that while individuals may have had up to 15 minutes to escape the average house fire about 30 years ago, the typical escape time today is less than four minutes on average from the onset of the fire. Fires are usually not discovered for at least a minute or more, further decreasing the time to respond and escape. Modern materials are extremely combustible due the increased use of synthetic and plastic materials. In less than 30 seconds, a small fire can become a major fire creating thick black toxic smoke. The smoke today is also more dangerous as it is filled with carbon monoxide, hydrogen cyanide, and other fire gasses that quickly overwhelm and kill people after just a couple of breaths.

Additionally, modern building construction contributes to quicker fire spread. Solid wood construction has been replaced by open trusses, smaller structural framing members, particle board, and manufactured I-joists that quickly fail when exposed to fire. Garages are often attached to the main house further increasing the fuel load with gasoline and other combustibles. Firefighting tactics have even changed due to the newer materials and construction. Firefighters are now trained to initially attack fires from the outside due to the dangers when there are no known lives at risk. While firefighters are trained to “risk a lot to save a lot” (i.e. attempt rescues for a known life safety situation), they are much more cautious when there is not an obvious person or pet to rescue due to the extreme dangers.

When determining whether to attempt a rescue, seconds matter. Firefighters are trained to search living areas and bedrooms first when the location of a victim is unknown. Today, disabled or elderly people are often located in makeshift rooms in basements, or areas that were not originally designed for obvious occupancy. Additionally, pets may be housed in garages or basements that are not initially obvious to rescuers. Rescue personnel have multiple tasks during a fire. There is often not enough manpower to effectively search an entire house while simultaneously performing other firefighting tactics. Any information as to location of a potential victim is extremely valuable to rescuers as it saves precious time by not having to search the entire structure. The quicker rescuers can locate a victim or a pet, the greater the likelihood of survival.

Traditionally, rescuers will interview occupants or neighbors to try to get information on potential victims and their potential locations inside the house prior to a rescue attempt. Unfortunately, there is often limited, or even wrong information conveyed because the occupants may be trapped, not at home, or are confused and agitated during the emergency. While fire departments use pre-plans for commercial structures to show the interior of a building, they do not have them for most residential occupancies. Previously, homeowners could place stickers on a window to alert rescuers to a child or pet′ possible location. Unfortunately, the stickers were left in place long after the family circumstances change, such as when a child or pet no longer lives there. As these static warning devices are not updatable, firefighters have been trained to ignore them.

Accordingly, there is a great need for a way for rescuers to know if there is a potential life to save in the event of a fire. Additionally, there is a need to know the likely location of these lives. The present invention discloses a system designed to alert emergency personnel that a pet is inside the home in the event of a fire or other emergency. Advantageously, the system can offer pertinent up-to-date information regarding the trapped animal and its possible location within the home. The system provides a way for rescuers to access the information outside of the house before attempting a rescue. Rescue personnel can access the information from a safe area before entering the structure. The system may also be easily used by individuals with physical or mental limitations.

SUMMARY

The following presents a simplified summary in order to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the disclosed innovation. This summary is not an extensive overview, and it is not intended to identify key/critical elements or to delineate the scope thereof. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.

The subject matter disclosed and claimed herein, in one aspect thereof, comprises an electronic device comprising a housing and a non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising software instructions. The software instructions comprise a programable component configured to receive and store user input related to a living being's characteristics. The programable component is further configured to receive and store user input indicating a living being's location.

The living being's characteristics may comprise a pet type, a breed, a size, an image, or a name. The living being's location is typically a location within a structure, such as a house or apartment. The software instructions further comprise an information retrieval component to provide feedback on the living being's characteristics and location when accessed. The information retrieval component is accessible via a retrieval device. The electronic device is weather resistant and designed to be located outside of the structure so as to be easily accessible by rescuers in the event of an emergency.

An additional embodiment of the present invention comprises a system for locating a living being in an emergency. The system comprises an electronic device comprising a housing and a non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising software instructions. The software instructions comprise a programable component configured to receive and store user input related to the living being. The user input comprises the living being's characteristics and the living being's location within the structure. The software instructions further comprise an information retrieval component to provide feedback on the living being's characteristics and location when accessed.

The system further comprises a server in electronic communication with the electronic device via a network. The server comprises a server processor and a server memory comprising a set of executable instructions comprising an information storage component. The information storage component may receive and store the user input related to the living being's characteristics and location from the electronic device.

The system further comprises a retrieval device. The retrieval device comprises a scanning component, a processor, and an information accessing component. The retrieval device is configured to interact with the electronic device directly or indirectly with the server via the network to upload the user input related to the living being's characteristics and location that is stored on either the electronic device, the server, or both.

An additional embodiment of the present invention comprises a method of locating a pet during an emergency. The method comprises uploading a plurality of pet characteristics to an electronic device. The electronic device comprises a housing and a non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising software instructions. The electronic device further comprises a programable component configured to receive and store user input related to a plurality of pet characteristics including a pet type, a breed, a size, an image, or a name. The plurality of pet characteristics may further comprise a pet location within a structure. The electronic device further comprises an information retrieval component to provide feedback on the pet's characteristics and location when accessed.

The method further comprises locating the electronic device outside of a structure. The method further comprises accessing the plurality of pet characteristics via a retrieval device. The retrieval device comprises a scanning component, a processor, and an information accessing component. The retrieval device is configured to interact with the electronic device directly or indirectly with a server via a network to upload the user input related to the living pet's characteristics and location that is stored on either the electronic device, the server, or both.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, certain illustrative aspects of the disclosed innovation are described herein in connection with the following description and the annexed drawings. These aspects are indicative, however, of but a few of the various ways in which the principles disclosed herein can be employed and is intended to include all such aspects and their equivalents. Other advantages and novel features will become apparent from the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the drawings.

