A Life-Saver for Pets Stricken by Smoke in Pennsylvania

Dogs and cats used to be on the hot seat.

Firefighters would pull animals overcome by smoke from burning buildings, only to lose them later due to ill-fitting oxygen masks designed for humans.

But now, fire officials in Montgomery County say, pets stand a better chance of survival through use at fire scenes of the pet oxygen masks common in animal operating rooms.

"In the last couple of years, if we had them, we would have been able to save some lives," said Fred Zollers, chief of Enterprise Fire Company in Hatboro.

In a campaign called Cause for Paws, a national chain of pet-care centers is making the pet oxygen masks available to four fire companies in the Philadelphia suburbs.

So far, 1,000 sets of three masks suitable for big dogs, small dogs, and cats have been donated to fire companies in 18 states, say Best Friends Pet Care officials. The firm is based in Connecticut.

Local recipients include Abington, Hatboro, Roslyn and Willow Grove.

Chief Ed Wurster of the Roslyn Fire Company said the gift is welcome. He said two dogs died this year after a house fire. His firefighters tried to revive the dogs using a human oxygen mask and even mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, but neither worked.

The lack of a breathing device for pets "made it definitely harder," Wurster said.

According to Kathryn Jahnigen, spokeswoman for the American Humane Association in Denver, 60 percent of households across the country have a dog or cat. Sixty million have dogs; 75 million have cats. In many cases, the pet is considered family, she said.

Across the country, an average of 40,000 pets die in house fires each year, compared with 4,000 people, according to a company that makes "pet alert" window decals. Most of the pets that die succumb to asphyxiation.

During a fire, rescuers focus first on saving people, then on their pets, many of whom are stressed and hiding under beds or in closets, Zollers said.

"Usually, the first thing people tell me after they get out is, 'My cats are in there, you've got to go back in for them,' or 'My dog is in the bedroom,' " said Zollers. If it is safe, firefighters will try, the chief said.

When a pet is rescued, it may be suffering from smoke inhalation, which requires oxygen.

A cup-shaped plastic shield is placed over the animal's muzzle and sealed just under its eyes with a rubber ring. A strap fits over the pet's head.

Then oxygen from a tank is pumped under pressure into the pet's lungs.

"You can always tell when it's working because the dog starts struggling to get the mask off," said Debra Bennetts, Best Friends' Cause for Paws coordinator.

Bennetts said the program began in July 2004 when a firefighter in North Jersey asked for help after a dog overcome by smoke couldn't be revived with an oxygen mask for humans.

The firm provided pet masks, got more requests, and has since raised $19,000 for the program, Bennetts said. It will match public donations, with the aim of equipping every rescue team in the area, she said.

Fifteen years ago, Enterprise firefighter John Kulick recovered a cat overcome by smoke from a house fire, Zollers recalled. Kulick, an Army National Guard specialist, was killed this month at the age of 35 while on patrol in Iraq.

"John gave it mouth-to-mouth. He ran over to the ambulance and got it oxygen," the chief said.

Despite the clumsy equipment available then, the cat had a determined rescuer in Kulick. It lived, Zollers said.

Distributed by the Associated Press