Invisible Fence Brand of Dayton donated oxygen masks designed for animals and other supplemental materials to the Allen Center Fire Department Thursday afternoon. Pictured is Nicole Schoening, marketing and community outreach coordinator for Invisible Fence Brand of Dayton, left, demonstrating to Fire Chief Steve Brose, center, and firefighter Neal Page, right, how to use their recently donated oxygen masks, which will aid them in providing oxygen to animals found in fires.
(Journal-Tribune photo by Jacob Runnels)
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The Allen Township Fire Department is now better equipped to handle pets in the event of a fire.
Nicole Schoening, marketing and community outreach coordinator for Invisible Fence Brand of Dayton, donated pet-sized oxygen masks to the fire department Thursday afternoon. Contained within the $60 worth of goodies for the fire department included three masks, one each small, medium and large tubing, a reference sheet for fitting the masks and flow rates, a leash and bumper stickers.
“We all do this because we care about animals,” Schoening said. “We care about keeping pets safe, and this is another way we can do that.”
Schoening said this is part of Project Breathe, when in 2007, efforts were made to donate masks to fire departments across the country.
She said so far, the project has donated around 20,000 masks nationwide. She said 30 kits have been given to area fire departments in the last four years.
“We’ll do it for any fire department that makes the request,” Schoening said. “It’s a matter of where we get a request from as to where we go.”
She said the masks are reusable, and Invisible Fence will provide replacements.
Schoening said the differently sized masks come in handy for providing oxygen to pets. She said they are designed to be fitted on most animals. She said the large mask is the most versatile one provided, as it can either fit to cover large animals or to calm a smaller animal that is stressed.
Neal Page, a firefighter for the Allen Township Fire Department, said these masks will be a good benefit to the agency.
“I think they’re neat, and they give us another tool in the toolbox to provide additional services to the residents,” Page said. “I’ve got dogs, and dogs are as much of my family as my kid is.”
Page said there was no protocol in place for when firefighters encountered animals in fires. He said normally, they would fit human-sized oxygen masks onto animals if they needed it, and save them.
Page said the department benefits from receiving the masks because they’re “specifically designed to have a better fit and give a better oxygen delivery to a pet,” as opposed to a loose human-sized mask.
He said the department found out about this opportunity when the county dog warden informed him about the deal. The fire department then applied for the mask donation through Invisible Fence’s website.
Schoening also provided tips for firefighters when handling pets in a blaze:
-Dogs are easier to find in fires compared to cats, as dogs will try to find the nearest exit while cats will hide.
-Cats will become overstressed if they have a small mask on their head because of their eyesight being limited. That’s where a large mask comes in handy.
-K-9 units should be handled with care, as they can become aggressive to those who they don’t know. Firefighters and all other responders should have the K-9 unit’s handler place the oxygen mask on them if available. If the handler is injured or unavailable, the local police department will send someone to help.
-Animals are more prone to their airways becoming swollen due to smoke inhalation. They will appear looking normal at first and “it all goes downhill really fast” from there.