Pet Oxygen Masks Welcomed Aboard Murrieta Fire Engines

It is a natural tendency for people to want to return to smoke- or fire-filled environments in attempt to save their pets. With the addition of pet oxygen masks to Murrieta fire engines, officials hope residents will now leave that to the experts.

The Murrieta Fire Department on Monday formally accepted the donated masks from California Veterinary Specialists. CVS has locations in Murrieta, Carlsbad and Ontario, and said the early intervention will improve mortality rates among animals affected by fire.

"Animals respond to fires like children respond to fires," said Dr. Amy Carr, founding partner of CVS. "They are going to hide in their crate...you are going to find them under the bed, in the closet, wherever their favorite place is.

"They are very susceptible to smoke inhalation and carbon monoxide poisoning...and they are inhaling all of those plastics that are melting. If they are without oxygen even for the amount of time it takes them to get to the hospital, that can make a difference."

The masks, which come in small, medium and large sizes, can be used for dogs, cats, birds and pocket pets such as gerbils, Carr explained.

CVS purchased 11 kits of masks at about $88 a piece from the nonprofit organization, Pets America.

Carr said Murrieta is the first city for which CVS has done this. Based on the success of the partnership, she said they may consider gifting masks to other cities they serve. She said the practice is well aware of budget limitations faced by Fire Departments, and that the masks can be expensive.

Along with Carr, Rachel Kowalski, CEO of Pets America, was on hand Monday at Murrieta fire Station 2 for a mask demonstration.

"When people feel that sense of safety that firemen will come in and save their pets there is a higher tendency for people not go back into the home themselves," Kowalski said. "...And when the pets are back out there is a higher probability that they are going to be able to save their lives."

Kowalski said Pets America was founded in 2005 after Hurricane Katrina.

"It is just a matter of education; education is our foundation, making people aware of what can be done to helps their pets, and their family."

Another person in attendance Monday who was excited about the new addition was Sheila Risinger, an animal control investigator with Animal Friends of the Valleys.

"The first thing we do when we get called is take the animal straight to the emergency pet clinic," Risinger said. "The first thing they do is put it in an oxygen chamber. So this is a pre-treatment."

The reusable masks are compatible not only with the oxygen equipment on the city fire engines, but portable bags, according to Matt Corelli, a Murrieta fire engineer/paramedic who helped demonstrate how the masks work.

In the coming weeks, all crews will be trained on how to properly administer the new equipment, Corelli said.

Though the masks are a welcome addition, Murrieta fire officials made it clear human life would remain their No. 1 priority.

"People go into after their pets all the time and so that becomes an added problem plus trying to put the fire out...that becomes an added rescue element," Corelli said.

The hope is that the community will learn to entrust their family friends to firefighters equipped with this new capability.

"Our primary mission is the safety of our two-legged friends," said Murrieta fire Chief Matt Shobert. "...When it comes to our four-legged friends, that will be the second issue that is addressed."