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P.A. fire department receives donation to assist with animal rescue

Jul 20, 2016 | 2:06 PM

Saving the lives of man’s best friends just got easier for emergency services in Prince Albert.

On Wednesday, July 20, the Prince Albert Fire Department received five specialized oxygen therapy mask sets, with three different sizes, from Amy Locke, a dog trainer.

The masks will provide on-scene treatment for dogs and cats, who need respiratory help, primarily caused by fires.

Fire Chief Jason Everitt said the department is grateful for the donation.

“It’s fantastic, it’s a great donation which will enable us to better help the animal members of our community that are in distress as a result of traumatic incidents or house fires,” Everitt said.

He said the department used standard human masks previously which were not ideal.

“There is so much oxygen that’s wasted, so that’s why this donation and this equipment becomes important for us, we are not only able to help the human members of the community, but also the animals,” he said.

Locke said she is passionate about dogs and their well-being.

“Our life and our work revolves around people’s pets and we see how important they are to them, it’d be devastating to lose a dog in a fire, if there were a way we could prevent that from happening,” she said.

She was inspired to donate after hearing a tragic story of loss.

“There was actually a dog trainer in British Columbia, who lost seven out of nine dogs in a house fire last winter, and it got other trainers wondering if fire departments actually had masks suited for dogs,” she said, adding, “So there are quite a few trainers across the country that have started figuring it out and started donating to those that don’t have them yet.”

Locke runs Paws Here Dog Training in Prince Albert.

 

jkadzviti@panow.com

On Twitter: @julietkadzviti