Marshfield, WI (OnFocus) When responding to a house fire, the Marshfield Fire & Rescue Department EMS crew have an additional tool in their ambulances that can help save the life of man’s best friend.
Each ambulance is equipped with a pet oxygen mask kit containing three cup sizes and oxygen tubing that can be used to revive dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs – even snakes – after smoke inhalation.
“We can pull them out of a smoke-filled environment and use this to give them some supplemental oxygen,” said Steve Bakos, Deputy Chief of EMS. “I would let the homeowner handle the snake, personally.”
Faith Lutheran Church GLOW students presented a $160 check to the department on Dec. 15 to purchase a kit for the new fifth ambulance put into service in October.
Preschool to 8th grade youth raise funds for a designated cause through their Sunday offerings and exceeded their goal of $100. On Sunday, they were also able to tour an ambulance and meet Bakos’s 5-month-old lab dog.
“They were thrilled,” said Treva Tisdell, Director of Education and Family Ministry.
In the event a kit is used, responders keep the oxygen mask in place until the owner wishes to visit a vet, or the pet starts acting more alert.
“After a while the tail starts wagging and they come around,” said Bakos. “The goal is to get oxygen levels back up and have them regain consciousness.”
Over his career firefighters have rescued dogs, guinea pigs, cats, and snakes from house fires.
Author: News Desk
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