The local fire department in Atlanta Georgia is soon going to be carrying 3 different sizes of oxygen masks on board of their fire rescue trucks. This will hopefully become standard as many locals hope. The story was made popular after a local member of council read a report about an amazing rescue of a pet cat in a house fire two years ago.

Apparently the cat was found in the rubbles of a burned down house and was in a relative good condition. Fire truck crew was surprised to see the cat alive in the circumstances she was found in. One of the fire rescue workers acted swiftly by placing a child’s oxygen mask onto the cat and to the amazing surprise to all she survived the ordeal. 

When the council worker read this report she figured why not carry pet oxygen masks as a standard on fire rescue trucks. Vets have successfully demonstrated the use of oxygen masks on pets. Immediate aid is just as important for pets as it is for humans. The risk of getting smoke inhalation is high for anybody exposed to a fire and often pets or humans die afterwards if they have been exposed to too much smoke.

Carrying those pet masks would allow the fire rescue team workers to act swiftly when it comes down to saving the beloved family pet. For many people pets are a natural extension of their families. They belong to us and we can’t bear to see them getting hurt or worse. Whether for cats or dogs or even smaller animals I think using oxygen masks on pets is a fantastic idea. If we don’t at least try to save them, we will blame ourselves for the rest of our lives.

Anne Fauver of the Atlanta city council states that they could get a set of three masks in three different sizes for $55. The project will not be funded by the local government but from donations asking the general public for help. I suppose that many pet owners would jump in to help this good cause as eventually it might be their pet that will get rescued with oxygen masks.

The trial will first get started in Anne Fauver’s local district of north east Atlanta. If it proves a success, then soon all Atlanta fire trucks will carry these oxygen masks on all their runs.

Posted by Monika.