Firefighters in Carroll County will no longer have to perform mouth-to-snout resuscitation on pets rescued from burning houses.
Now, the pets will wear oxygen masks specially fitted for dogs and cats.
Each of the county?s 14 fire department received from the county Humane Society a set of three masks ? one for cats, one for small dogs and one for large canines, said Nicky Ratliff, executive director of the society.
The masks would have been useful two years ago when Michael Rehfeld, a K-9 specialist with the Gamber and Community Fire Company in Finksburg, rescued from a house fire a German shepherd mix suffering from severe smoke inhalation.
Rehfeld did what any firefighter and animal lover would do: He put his mouth to the dog?s snout and started breathing life-saving oxygen into its lungs.
“The family was very thankful,” he said. “Firefighters, paramedics and EMTs will find these masks helpful.”
Until now, most emergency responders have used human oxygen masks to revive struggling four-legged fire victims. But the shape and size of the masks don?t fit pets well, said Richard Green Sr., president of the Carroll County Volunteer Emergency Services Association.
The fire departments received the masks in April and have yet to use them, Green said.
The society used community donations to buy them for $1,000.
Pet alert stickers
In another pet-saving measure, the Humane Society of Carroll County has ordered 5,000 stickers residents can place on their doors to alert firefighters how many pets live inside.
The stickers will list the society?s phone number so firefighters can contact the society, which will watch the pets if their owners aren?t home.
These stickers will be available for free at 2517 Littlestown Pike, Westminster, in the next few weeks.
