This donation is just a small part of Invisible Fence®
Brand’s Project Breathe™ 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
18,200 pet oxygen masks to fire stations all over the U.S. and Canada
throughout the life of the program. A reported 170+ 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 Tony Hettinger, President of Invisible Fence of
Upstate NY. “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
Hettinger. “Project Breathe™ program is simply a way of giving firefighters the
tools necessary to save pets’ lives.”
Cohocton, NY and surrounding areas are now joining the ranks
of cities like Seattle, Chicago, Denver, 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, heart
wrenching for firefighters.
The company has set up a website, www.invisiblefence.com/O2,
where local fire personnel can make a request for their own departments.
