"Friday, December 18, 2009-- BART secretary Michelle Reckard and certified trainer Christa Lloyd attended an official presentation of 19 oxygen face mask kits from Invisible Fence Co. of Minnesota to the Minneapolis Fire Department. Present were Fire Chief Alex Jackson, Assistant Fire Chief John Fruetel, Council Member Don Samuels, Council Member Gary Schiff and his dog, Lola. Representing Invisible Fence were Mike Williams, Keith Olson, and Jody Karow. BART received recognition for our efforts in training the Minneapolis Fire Department to better respond to emergencies involving pets, and had the opportunity to show our appreciation of Invisible Fence’s support. WCCO cameraman, Peter Molenda, filmed the presentation, which ended with Lola providing a demonstration of the oxygen masks. " - BART Volunteer - Christa Lloyd
Minneapolis firefighters to receive donated pet oxygen masks
by Elizabeth Dunbar, Minnesota Public Radio
December 18, 2009
http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2009/12/18/pet-oxygen-masks/
St. Paul, Minn. — The Minneapolis Fire Department will have more equipment to save pets from house fires when it receives 19 new pet oxygen masks during an event Friday.
Minneapolis Fire Chief Alex Johnson will accept the oxygen masks at an event with officials from Invisible Fence Co., who are donating the masks. A City Council member's dog will also help demonstrate how the masks are used.
Officials say the masks could help save pets' lives in a house fire by allowing firefighters to quickly give oxygen to a stricken animal.
Minneapolis firefighters have already received training in animal rescue techniques from Basic Animal Rescue Training, an organization run by volunteer veterinary workers to help first responders handle domestic animals in emergency situations.
City of Minneapolis Website
http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/news/20091218PetRescueSupplies.asp
To help firefighters administer oxygen to animals that have been stricken during a fire, the Minneapolis Fire Department accepted a donation of 19 pet oxygen masks from Invisible Fence Co. of Minnesota on Friday, Dec. 18. The masks were accepted during an event at City Hall where City Council Member Gary Schiff’s dog “Lola” and representatives from Basic Animal Rescue Training (BART) performed a demonstration of how rescuers can use the masks to help save pets’ lives in emergencies.
It is estimated that more than 40,000 pets die in fires each year, with most succumbing to smoke inhalation. In most states, emergency responders are unequipped to deal with the crisis. The donation of these specially-designed and potentially lifesaving oxygen mask sets will enable Minneapolis firefighters to efficiently administer oxygen to a stricken animal.
Beginning in 2005, the City of Minneapolis Fire Department received extensive training on the use of this animal rescue equipment as well as 32 oxygen mask kits from Basic Animal Rescue Training (BART), a non-profit organization run by volunteers in the veterinary profession and supported by community donations. BART’s mission is to empower firefighters and other first responder personnel with the training, knowledge, and equipment necessary to safely and effectively handle domestic animals in emergency situations, in order to help preserve human health, safety and well being. BART has trained and equipped over 3,000 first responder personnel in Minnesota since December of 2004.
Dec. 18, 2009
Stories below were written about the event on the City of Minneapolis website and by Minnesota Public Radio (MPR)
Thank you so much to everyone at Invisible Fence for your generous contribution to help save animals in emergency situations.
Please see the Project Breathe video from Invisible Fence. They are helping many other departments with their donations of Pet Oxygen Masks as well.