Published: July 23, 2007 08:11 am      

Saving grace for pets

AFD receives oxygen masks made for man’s best friend, cats

ASHLAND — Firefighters received a gift last week that will help them to save more lives.

On behalf of the pet-loving community, animal activists Terri Tomondi and Tanya Meadows presented the Ashland Fire Department with oxygen masks specifically designed for animals at Thursday’s city commission meeting.

The reusable masks come in three sizes, to fit cats and large and small dogs. The department received just one set of masks, but Tomondi and Meadows pledged to provide additional sets so each of Ashland’s three fire stations will be equipped with the pet-saving devices.

Meadows said she got the idea from a Huntington organization, River Cities Dog Stars, which purchased masks for its first responders earlier this year.

“We thought it would be a beneficial thing to present to our fire departments,” Meadows said.

The masks were purchased with funds the pair received from the American Red Cross to teach an animal first aid clinic later this summer at the Summit Branch of the Boyd County Public Library.

“We’re teaching that class and we didn’t really want to get paid for teaching that class so we’re turning around and giving that money back to the community,” she said. “We just want to make sure the pets in the community are taken care of.”

Ashland Fire Department Battalion Chief John Pennington said the fire department is excited to receive the equipment. He said he knows it will be well used.

“We pull animals out all the time. They are just as important (as people),” Pennington said. “They are people’s property and people love them and their animals love them back. You don’t want to lose them.”

Firefighter equipment is designed to save human lives, he said, but firefighters have been improvising for years to save animals that inhale too much smoke in fires. In many cases, he said, firefighters have to stop people from returning to burning buildings to save their animals.

He gave two recent examples of fires were firefighters revived cats by giving them the lifesaving gas.

“We want to do good things for people. If you pull out an animal and you’ve got the equipment to care for them, you can do your job better,” Pennington added.

He spent part of Friday writing up procedures for firefighters to follow when using the masks so they can begin using them immediately. The masks fit the department’s standard oxygen cylinders so no other special equipment will be needed, he said.

CARRIE KIRSCHNER can be reach at ckirschner@dailyindependent.com or (606) 326-2653.