SPENCERPORT, N.Y. — Spencerport Fire District Chief Jake Bromage criticized the tactics his crews used while trying to rescue a cat stuck in a tree after a 911 call on Oct. 3. The cat was euthanized the next day.
Spencerport Volunteer Fire Department apologizes for incident that ended up killing a cat. pic.twitter.com/F5VKxqHrt7
— Bob Lonsberry (@BobLonsberry) October 7, 2025
Bromage told WHAM the firefighters’ actions “were not appropriate” and “not how we do business.” In a statement, he added: “We value our community’s trust, and this fell short of the professionalism our neighbors expect and deserve.”
Bromage declined to discuss any discipline but said the department is updating its standard operating guidelines.
A bystander video showed the cat being tossed from the tree by firefighters with a hoseline. Firefighters were staged near the tree, ready to catch the cat, but it hit the ground.
How would your department have handled this call?
FireRescue1 readers respond:
- Let me give you a true story about what happened when we tried to handle a similar situation ‘the right way’. Woman comes into HQ one day saying she needs help getting a cat down from a tree. I told the station officer to call animal control, and they said it would be two hours before they could get there. The woman said she needed help now, before her 75-year-old father attempted to put up a ladder to try and rescue the cat. So I told the station officer to take rig and go and get there cat down. Crew goes to the location, puts up a ladder, and a FF climbs up to get their cat down cat. Cat bites him through his glove and then jumps down out of the tree and takes off. FF has to go to the hospital, where he gets a tetanus shot and several stitches. FF had to miss several shifts, and it costs us 2,000 in OT to cover for him. A few weeks later, OSHA comes into HQ and issues us a citation for not having the proper equipment to rescue the damn cat. Moral of this true story: no good deed goes unpunished.
- I’m writing this note because we had this practice years ago, and I was personally involved in a similar operation in which Gato lost his life. It was a mental burden that I carried with me for many years. I’ve never particularly liked these types of operations because of the risk they pose to personnel. Currently, for these animal rescue operations at height, aerial platforms or GRIMP intervention group operations — Grupo de Intervencion en Medios Peligrosos (rope rescue methodology originating from French firefighter rescue teams) — are used whenever possible. It is also complemented by a new work methodology derived from forestry intervention and the felling of trees that pose risks (ADRA), which makes the rescue safer for both the rescuer and the animal.
- Have you ever seen a cat skeleton in a tree? No one should risking injury to personnel, an animal, or damage to million dollar rigs to get a cat out of a tree. Cats climb trees. It will come down when it’s ready.
- What can I say that others have not said already? The lack of professionalism and a narrow focus on this situation are additional failures by this department. I am forever reminded of something my old mentor once told me. “Is this going to make the nightly news?” If the answer is yes, then you’d better rethink what you are about to do.
- We no longer rescue cats from trees. #1, it’s unsafe to ladder a tree. #2 the cats always get scared when they see us coming after them and climb higher, making the situation worse. We just tell the caller to put a bowl of food at the base of the tree and see what happens.
- As professionals! In what pea-brain was the idea born that it’s OK to “toss” a victim, regardless of the number of legs they have?
