Firefighters Learn Animal CPR

In Ashland, Ore., firefighters are now equipped to give first aid to companion animals affected by smoke. Trained by veterinarian Dr. Alice Sievers, firefighters learned various first-aid techniques including placing small animals entirely inside an oxygen mask and doing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on dogs, cats, gerbils, and reptiles who have inhaled smoke. Sievers advised firefighters to treat the animals as infants, saying that “the numbers are basically the same, there’s just a few anatomical differences. We don’t do mouth-to-mouth, we do mouth-to-snout.” Ashland Fire & Rescue Captain Dana Sallee says this training is particularly helpful, as residents are often most worried about animals left inside the home during a fire.