Thanks to a donation from Moriarty’s Fence Company, the volunteer firefighters at the Chepachet Fire Department are equipped with pet oxygen masks to help families with four-legged members. Lt. Melissa Rhodes, a seven-year volunteer for the department, at 1170 Putnam Pike, said she’s been on calls where pets were involved, and up until now, the department didn’t have a way to help them other than CPR. Unfortunately, she said, most pets cannot be trained on the family fire escape plan to know what to do and where to go in an emergency situation. “They’re like kids, they try to hide instead of running outside and get trapped in the house,” she said.
Rhodes said the oxygen masks help pets improve their chances for a quick recovery after inhaling smoke. “This is another tool we can use to save lives,” she said.