Firefighters save dogs, cat with CPR
Published: January 24, 2006
Firefighters responding to a house fire here Saturday afternoon saved dogs and a cat by performing CPR, but the family’s ferret was dead on arrival.
Lance and Kim Edwards of 507 Washington Court weren’t at home when crews got the call at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, and their three dogs and cat were nearly dead, said Ricky McCormick, an assistant fire chief of La Vergne Fire Department Inc.
“When we got there, one of the neighbors told us nobody was home but that they had dogs,” he said. “One crew started doing a search, and another started putting the fire out.”
The ferret was already dead, and by the time rescuers got to the other animals, they were unresponsive and barely breathing. Firefighters immediately started giving CPR.
Robert Kimbrough, also an assistant fire chief, said Saturday’s incident wasn’t the first time he’s had to administer CPR to an animal.
“Basically, I knew what we needed to do. I just put an oxygen mask over one of the dog’s mouth and nose and started rubbing its stomach. They all came around and started standing on their own after about five minutes,” he said.
“Sometimes you try (CPR) and they start coming around, and some make it and some don’t. Animals, they’re just like kids to some people,” Kimbrough added.
McCormick said the department is not formally trained to resuscitate animals, and when it comes to saving them “we just try to do the best we can.”
Kimbrough said animals survive house fires about 50 percent of the time. The biggest factor in their survival is how long they’ve been exposed to smoke.
The home itself is not a total loss, but the damage is extensive, McCormick said. Firefighters were able to contain the fire to the kitchen and a portion of the attic.
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