By Novella Carpenter
Idaho Falls Post Register (Idaho)
Copyright 2006 The Post Register
All Rights Reserved
Thanks to a donation by a group of animal lovers, the resuscitators will help firefighters save pets caught in home fires.
Idaho Falls’ dogs, cats and even parrots are now more likely to survive a house fire.
That’s because a group of animal lovers on Thursday provided the fire department with 10 pet resuscitator kits. They’re like oxygen masks for animals.
“When we respond to fires, people’s first concern is often their pets,” said Scott Long, the Emergency Medical Services division chief.
City Councilwoman Karen Cornwell spearheaded the effort to raise $500 to buy the pet resuscitators, approaching individual and private donors to pitch in.
The kits include three different mask sizes and are sold for $50 apiece by H.E.L.P Animals Inc., a Florida-based nonprofit organization.
At least two to four pets suffer from smoke inhalation every year, fire officials said.
Sadie, a well-behaved Australian shepherd mix, came to Firehouse 1 on Thursday with her owner, Division Chief Rick Taylor, to demonstrate how the resuscitators work.
The year-old dog sat quietly while Taylor fit the mask over her muzzle. The mask is connected to a tank, which then supplies a burst of oxygen.
“We want to get some oxygen to pets after fires,” Chief Dean Ellis said. “And these fit over the snout better.”
Long said some firefighters have resorted to mouth-to-snout resuscitation of pets.
“They don’t want to admit it, but it happens,” Long said.
With this new equipment, they won’t have to. The kits will be housed in 10 of the local ambulance units.
Linda Weiss, who has two dogs, donated to the fundraising effort.
“I would certainly want these available if we needed them,” Weiss said.