Spafford fire department receives donation
First Responders with the Spafford Volunteer Fire Protection District are now some of the best-equipped in the nation to save a pet’s life. That’s because Invisible Fence of the Finger Lakes, Midstate and Syracuse has donated one pet oxygen mask kit to the department.
This donation is just a small part of Invisible Fence® Brand’s Project Breath program, which was established with the goal of equipping every fire station in America and Canada with pet oxygen masks. These masks allow firefighters and EMS staff to give oxygen to pets who are suffering from smoke inhalation when they are rescued from fires and often save pets’ lives.
Invisible Fence Brand has donated a total of more than 22,500 pet oxygen masks to fire stations all over the U.S. and Canada throughout the life of the program. A reported 185 pets have been saved by the donated masks so far, one family dog most recently in Baltimore by the Baltimore County Fire Department.
“When a family suffers the tragedy of a fire, lives are turned upside down,” said Ed Hoyt, Director of Invisible Fence® Brand. “Pets are valued family members, so we want families to know that their pet can be cared for if tragedy strikes.”
“We realize that humans are the first priority, but in many cases, pets can be saved if firefighters have the right equipment,” said Hoyt. “Project Breathe™ program is simply a way of giving firefighters the tools necessary to save pets’ lives.”
Spafford and surrounding areas are now joining the ranks of cities like Seattle, Chicago, Denver, Syracuse, Ithaca and Salt Lake City who have all received donated pet oxygen masks from Project Breathe™ program.
“Thank God they had the masks. They (the dogs) are just like family. I don’t know what I’d do without them. Things can be replaced. Lives can’t, whether they’re animals or people,” said a pet owner whose dogs were recently rescued using donated masks.
Although the number of pets that die in fires is not an official statistic kept by the U.S. Fire Administration, industry web sites and sources have cited an estimated 40,000 to 150,000 pets die in fires each year, most succumbing to smoke inhalation. In most states, emergency responders are unequipped to deal with the crisis. The loss is terrible for the family and heart wrenching for firefighters.
The company has set up a website, invisiblefence.com/O2, where local fire personnel can make a request for their own departments.
Invisible Fence Brand is the original electronic pet containment system and offers a comprehensive family of containment, avoidance, and access products to keep pets out of harm’s way and prevent unwanted behaviors throughout both the home and yard. Owned by Radio Systems Corporation in Knoxville, Tenn., Invisible Fence® Brand solutions are sold nationwide by professional, authorized dealers who provide Perfect Start™ Pet training and custom installation that have safely contained over 3 million pets. Invisible Fence® Brand has taken pet care beyond the home and started the Project Breath program, which has donated more than 22,500 pet oxygen masks to fire departments and first responders. For more information on Invisible Fence® Brand or to find a local dealer, visit invisiblefence.com.
