I just picked up this link on the Finnish cat ng.
http://www.helsinginsanomat.fi/tuoreet/artikkeli/1076151926858

The link leads to the Helsinki newspaper - Helsingin Sanomat - site,
which unfortunately is all in Finnish, but here's the gist of the
article (*very* rough translation):

The City of Helsinki Rescue Department has provided pet stores and vets'
offices with stickers that say that there are pets living in the
apartment. This free sticker should be fastened to the front door in
case of a fire, so that rescue workers can take the pets into account too.

Pets often die of the gases caused by a fire in an apartment, as they
try to excape the flames under beds or sofas or other places where they
are difficult to see or reach. When the rescue workers have advance
knowledge of the fact that there's a pet living in the apartment, the
pet is rescued faster, the City Rescue Department informs.

30,000 of these ten centimeters (4 inches) wide stickers are being
distributed. They can be obtained from about 40 locations in Helsinki.
(end of *very* rough translation)

This would be a great idea for pet owners everywhere, not just in
Helsinki, don't you think? One could make an individual sticker or sign,
maybe even with a photo of the pet, so that the rescue workers know what
they're looking for - a hard to find black cat or a big white fuzzy d*g.