By Amanda Pinto, Register Staff
Published: Monday, September 8, 2008 5:44 AM EDT
MADISON — During a fire several years ago, town firefighters saved a cat by using mouth-to-nose resuscitation, Madison Hose Company Fire Chief Robert Gerard says.
The days of struggling with imperfect methods for reviving pets — the days of jury-rigging human masks, or manipulating Styrofoam cups and plastic bottles to serve as makeshift masks — may be over.
The Madison Hose Company and North Madison Volunteer Fire Department will each be equipped with three oxygen masks that can fit dogs, cats and other pets. The devices could be used on animals who go into respiratory distress after traumas like a fire or carbon monoxide leak.
Fire and police officials recently unveiled the new devices.
Christie Hodge, administrative assistant to the police chief, brought her Labrador retriever, Jasmine, who modeled the dog oxygen mask, which has flexible fittings around the muzzle to fit snugly over pets’ snouts.
The masks aren’t just for the dogs, Acting Police Chief Robert Nolan said.
They can help most any pet, including cats, rabbits, ferrets and birds.
Gerard said firefighters do all they can to help pets, and the new masks will make the job either.
“We’re here for lives and property and a lot of people really care for their pets and anything extra we can do is beneficial to the town,” he said.
The masks, which are about $70 per set, according to Animal Control Officer Fran Fellows, were purchased after a donor, who wishes to remain anonymous, contributed money to the department.
The Branford man lost his dog in downtown Madison, and said he was so grateful to Fellows for helping him find it, that he donated money to the Madison Police Department to be used for the welfare of animals.
Fellows and Hodge researched options and decided on the recovery masks.
The donation was pooled with money from the animal control account to pay for the masks, Hodge said.
Equipping first responders with gear that can help save pets is vital, since some owners put themselves in danger to try to save their pets from harm, Fellows said.
“Since (Hurricane) Katrina, when people lost their lives because of their pets, we just thought it’s something we really should do,” she said.
Amanda Pinto can be reached at apinto@nhregister.com or 789-5734.