Thanks to a donation of pet oxygen masks by the Heartland Animal Hospital and Invisible Fence Brand by KW Sprinkler, Mapleton Fire and Rescue is now better equipped to handle pet-related emergencies arising from a fire.
The pet oxygen mask kits are supplied to the Heartland Animal Hospital by Invisible Fence Brand by KW Sprinkler through the Ontario Veterinary Medical Association in exchange for a donation to the Farley Foundation (a charitable organization which assists seniors, disabled individuals, people in receipt of Ontario Works and women at risk of abuse by subsidizing the non-elective veterinary care of their pets).
The donation is part of “Project Breathe” by Invisible Fence Brand, which aims to equip every fire station in Canada, the United States and the U.K. with pet oxygen masks.
Each pet oxygen mask kit contains three re-usable masks appropriately sized for small animals (cats, small dogs, animals with short snouts such as ferrets, rabbits, guinea pigs and birds), medium-sized animals (20 to 25 pounds) and large domestic animals (dogs 50 pounds and over).
Heartland Animal Hospital will also provide initial training and ongoing support to the fire department as required.
“In the event of a fire, pets are often in need of emergency assistance before veterinary care can be accessed,” said Dr. Emma Webster of Heartland Animal Hospital.
“Now that the Drayton and Moorefield fire stations will have these masks on hand, our community is better equipped with the tools that can help save a pet’s life during this type of emergency situation.”
Don Diebold of Invisible Fence Brand, said, “Our goal at Invisible Fence Brand is to ensure that every fire department and rescue unit is equipped with these life-saving pet oxygen masks.”
“To date, we have donated more than 10,000 masks to fire stations throughout Canada and the U.S., and we are thrilled to partner with Ontario veterinarians to equip fire stations throughout the province with these devices.”
The masks were presented to Mapleton Fire and Rescue at the Drayton fire station on July 4.
