The founder of the South Cariboo’s unique Whisker Kisses Pet Food Bank non-profit organization, Donna Land, has further assisted dogs, cats and other domestic animals as well as families in the community in caring for their beloved pets.
It all started when she was wondering what happens to indoor pets when fire departments respond on time to pull them out of buildings on fire alive, but suffering from smoke inhalation, she explains.
“We burn wood for heat, and I got to wondering, as our dogs are in the house most of the time, what’s going to happen to them if the place caught fire and we are not at home at the time.”
Land say after a brief investigation, she was initially inquiring about the cost to purchase pet oxygen kits online for her own home, when she unexpectedly stumbled across a benefactor in the Lower Mainland offering to send her a bunch of these life-saving kits to distribute to her community fire departments.
Invisible Fence Company offers assistance through its Project Breathe – a pet oxygen mask donation program designed to provide oxygen mask kits to fire departments and other first responders in their attempts to rescue them from homes and other enclosed shelters.
“They do sell them, but they also have a program going … so I contacted them and asked what do I have to do to get one for the fire departments up here- because just about everybody up here burns wood, and there are lots of home fires.”
Land says she was told if she provided a list of the fire departments, fire chiefs and contact information, they would send them to her for free, she explains.
Then, about 18 of these kits were sent to her address last fall for distributing to each of the VFDs listed, she adds.
“And, that was all there was to it. So I drove around and delivered them all. And, they were very grateful, and quite thrilled to get them.”
Lac la Hache Volunteer Fire Department Chief Terry Murphy says the members first ensured the pet oxygen masks would be suitable and fit the apparatus they have before putting it to use.
“We held a full practice session with them to make sure the equipment they donated would fit our medical equipment … we did a training session and they fit the equipment we had on board.”
The fire department hasn’t needed to try the oxygen mask out on anyone’s pet suffering from issues such as smoke inhalation, but they are thankful to have the donation for sometime down the road when it will be useful, he adds.
“We were quite pleased to get this equipment, particularly as we are a volunteer hall with limited funding. It is more than appreciated, especially as it supports the community’s efforts for pets and families.”
100 Mile House Fire Rescue Chief Roger Hollander says his department is also appreciative of the donation and went through a similar process to check them out to make sure the equipment was suitable for their purposes before putting them into active use.
“There was a little training involved, but it comes with instruction on the oxygen and [so on], and it’s on our engine and in place if we need it.”
Previously many fire departments around British Columbia had been restricted to having only the oxygen masks for humans and some tried to use those, but this one is shaped to fit the typical noses of dog, cats and other pets, he explains.
Each kit includes a small, medium, and large mask and fire departments are eligible to receive one kit per station, as explained on the website at http://www.invisiblefence.com/why-invisible-fence/project-breathe.