FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
St. Peters, MO – (December 16, 2011) – Today, Saint Charles County Ambulance District paramedics will become some of the best-equipped in the nation to save a pet’s life. That’s because Invisible Fence® of St. Louis is donating a total of thirty-five pet oxygen mask kits to the organization.
This donation is just a small part of Invisible Fence® Brand’s Project Breathe™, which was established with the goal of equipping every fire station in America and Canada with pet oxygen masks. These masks allow firefighters to give oxygen to pets who are suffering from smoke inhalation when they are rescued from fires. The masks often save pets’ lives. The donation comes just in time for the holiday season, where the risk of fire can be high due to increased use of candles, electric lights, and more.
Invisible Fence® Brand has donated a total of more than 10,000 pet oxygen masks to first responders all over the U.S. and Canada throughout the life of the program. A reported 50+ pets have been saved by the donated masks so far, including two pets saved on April 1 in Willoughby, Ohio.
“When a family suffers the tragedy of a fire, lives are turned upside down,” said Sarah Drew Rouse, of Invisible Fence® of St. Louis. “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 first responders have the right equipment,” said Rouse. “Project Breathe is simply a way of giving firefighters the tools necessary to save pets’ lives.”
Saint Charles County is now joining the ranks of Chicago, Cleveland and Memphis, who have all received donated pet oxygen masks from Project Breathe™.
“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 in 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 first responders.
“These masks truly are blessings for Saint Charles County” said Marty Limpert, Saint Charles County Ambulance District. “We’ve seen residents run back into burning homes to save a pet. It’s understandable, but extremely dangerous. These masks will give residents comfort in knowing that we can save their pets if they are suffering from smoke inhalation.”
The company has set up a website, www.invisiblefence.com/O2, where people or companies can support the effort.
