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Important to keep animals safe as extreme cold comes to Maine

Experts are urging Mainers to use caution with pets and animals, too.

MAINE, USA — Extreme and bitter cold is about to hit Maine in the coming days as an arctic front makes its way to the Northeast.

The Bangor Fire Department expects the majority of calls it receives in the coming days to deal with issues involving extra heating devices or frozen pipes. Bangor Assistant Fire Chief Andrew Emery is urging people to keep any extra heaters three feet away from any other objects. Also, if you have a frozen pipe, don't try to thaw it using a torch or open flame.

Typically, extreme cold weather reduces the number of calls to the fire department, according to Emery, but those calls pick up again when problems arise as things start to thaw.

"[In] the days after that, it's frozen pipes thawing out that cause the water leaks. So, if people can make sure they can leave the water running a little bit in the house," Emery said. "In the commercial buildings, if they make sure the keys in the Knox Box are up to date, because if it gets warm on Sunday and they have frozen pipes in the building, the quicker we can get in and shut the water off the less water damage there is to the property."

Emery said he's anticipating a good number of calls on Sunday for frozen pipes and water flow alarms. When crews respond, they'll be taking an extra truck so the crew can rotate to stay warm.

Experts are also urging people to use caution with pets and animals, too.

Dr. Abby Arena, a vet at Penobscot Veterinary Services, recommends dog owners to get a dog coat or sweater before letting the animals outside. With that said, she also said it's just as important to take them off once the dog gets back inside, so they don't overheat.

Indoor animals may try to take extra steps to keep warm even while inside, which could cause some issues.

"If you're using a wood stove or something like that it's pretty common to want to sleep too close to those and get singed or they can jump on top, and I do see a lot of cats that will jump on top of a wood stove or some other heating appliance because it's warm and burn their paws," Arena said.

If you're looking to let your dog blow off some energy after being cooped up in the house, she said you can take your dog on a walk around certain stores that allow dogs. That can be a pet store or even certain box stores, like Lowe's.

The frigid cold temperatures are especially concerning for outdoor animals.

Arena said the most important thing to do is protect them from the wind and keep them dry. She recommends using a tarp or stacking hay to block the wind. Also, throughout the day, check to make sure they have unfrozen water.

She also recommends adding extra dry bedding to the block drafts at the bottom of barns.

Maine Game Wardens said you have to always be prepared for extreme weather conditions like the ones Maine will see this weekend. If you plan to go out snowmobiling, ice fishing, skiing, hiking, snowshoeing, or anything else that will keep you outside for a while, Sgt. Kyle Hladik said its important to spend some time thinking about what you might need. 

Hladik recommends covering all exposed skin and always thinking about what may happen if things don't go according to plan. You should always bring a phone and an extra battery with you in case the cold makes your phone battery quickly drain. He recommends telling someone where you are going and what time you plan to return.

"Frostbite is a concern. Focus on your extremities," Hladik said. "If your extremities start to feel very cold or painfully cold, start to get tingly, or numbness, that would be a sign that frostbite could be sretting in as well as skin that is turning very red or beginning to turn white. Bring a backpack with some extra food, some clothing, the means to start a fire, hand warmers, things like that." 

If your house runs on heat pumps, Sean LaPlante, vice president of LaPlante Electric, said to make sure the heat pump is clear from snow and debris, turn up the heat pumps a little higher than your normally set them, and leave them at that setting. 

"Don't try to turn them on and off. Leave them, set it and forget it, [and] have your secondary source ready to go too," he said.

LaPlante said people should have another source of heating besides heat pumps, whether its a boiler, a furnace, or another electric source, in case of extreme weather conditions. If the temperature drops too low, the system can turn off completely.

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