from Poynteronline
By Al Tompkins (more by author)
Many times in my years as a street reporter, I saw firefighters rescue pets. If you have spent any time on the street, I am sure you have seen firefighters hold oxygen masks up to cats or dogs or birds that have inhaled a lot of smoke. Human masks don't fit very well, but until recently, that was all emergency workers had.
But now, the Bangor (Maine) Daily News reports, there are special pet masks available that firefighters are packing on their firetrucks. Firefighter Web sites include conversations about these life-saving contraptions. Charitable groups raised money to get these masks into every firehouse in the state of Delaware.
The story included this passage:
"It's an oxygen mask just like the ones used on a person, but they're differently shaped," [Brewer fire Capt. Gary] Parent said. "They're longer and have a rubber membrane" to hold them in place.
Brewer [Maine] Fire Department purchased the pet oxygen mask kit about a month ago for $75.
3 comments:
Firefighters RULE! Any guy that would climb a tree or a pole for a cat and then kiss the cat (Ive seen it!) is OK in my book!
I used to feed these two cats in the lumber yard near my house. One day there was a fire. I asked the firefighters if the cats were okay and do you know they CHECKED with each other and in the yard. They assured me that they hadn't seen them and that they would probably have taken off at the first sign of fire. Later that night, I saw the cats. I was so impressed that the firefighters took me so seriously and cared. They are among my favorite humans.
Those two cats later found another place to be and then left the neighborhood (they had been coming back sporadically, then the block got kind of bad and I think they had enough).
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