Suzette Swies understands firsthand the relationship people have with their pets.
”I would risk my life to save my dog,” Swies said of the 4-year-old lab-mix Sammy. “Pets are a huge part of people’s families.”
And that is why Swies is such an advocate of providing area fire departments with the equipment necessary to save pets’ lives in a fire.
“You save a life of someone’s pet and they don’t forget it,” said Novi Fire Chief Frank Smith. “When a fire happens, the people will get out, but the animals sometimes don’t
Friday, the Novi Fire Department received animal rescue oxygen masks through a donation from Invisible Fence of Tri County, based in Wixom.
“In 2006, it was estimated more than 40,000 pets died in fires and most were due to smoke inhalation,” said Swies, who is the marketing development coordinator of the company. “These have been used on everything from dogs, to cats, to birds.”
Each of Novi’s four fire stations received a kit containing small, medium and large oxygen masks with different oxygen flow settings, specifically designed for pets.
“We’re going to put one bag on each of our four engines,” Smith said. “In year’s past, we kind of did the best we could with what we had, but when it comes to animal care, this is state-of-the-art.”
Invisible Fence of Tri County also donated kits, worth $60 each, to the Walled Lake Fire Department
Invisible Fence Brand Tri County
29242 Lyon Oaks Drive
Wixom, covering Washtenaw, Livingston and Oakland counties
(248) 437-9663
www.invisiblefence.com
Great post! I love that you are taking the time to write about pet care. This is something near and dear to my heart. Take care.