Saving our furry friends: Northern Lakes Fire District received donation 20 oxygen masks for pets

HAYDEN – Animal lovers Jamie and Andy Smith have found a way to help pets left vulnerable to fires: masks.

The two donated 20 special PureVent Pet Oxygen Masks for first responders at the Northern Lakes Fire District to use on pets that are rescued but suffering from smoke inhalation.

“I was watching the news one night last spring, and there was a house fire and I think one of the dogs didn’t survive, but they were able to save the other dog because they had the mask,” Jamie Smith said.

Smith then called Fire Marshal Tyler Drechsel to see whether the fire department had the masks.

“I’ve known the Smiths for quite some time and know how passionate they are about our furry friends in the community,” Drechsel said. “We started having a discussion about the possibilities of pet oxygen masks, and she was able to find a supplier that would sell her all these masks, and she went ahead and decided to make the donation.”

It was good news for the fire department.

“We were ecstatic. Obviously, North Idaho, we love our pets, and after 25 years in the fire service and seeing how it could affect the animals in our community, it was music to my ears,” Drechsel said.

The Smiths have fostered pets in the community before and have a few pets of their own.

“We have a barnyard, we have three dogs and chickens, and goats, and a goose, and cats, and I have disabled cats, and one of our dogs is disabled,” Jamie Smith said.

Northern Lakes Fire District is partnering with Companions Animal shelter to get the word out about the masks. The end goal is to distribute the masks to fire agencies throughout Kootenai County.

“It’s a partnership between Companions, a partnership with the fire department, and also with the Smiths,” Drechsel said.

The masks come in three sizes and can be used on any animal that they fit, not just dogs.

The cup-shaped masks are held on to the animal’s nose and then connected to a tube that administers the oxygen.

The application is for an animal that is unresponsive, usually due to smoke inhalation.

“We don’t have any hard data, but probably somewhere around 85% of homes that we do respond to for a structure fire have pets of some sort,” deputy fire marshal Chris Larson said. “It’s very common that we see it.

“A lot of times the dogs will get out, but on the other hand, if they get to that point where they can’t get out or overheated and exhaustion, things like that, a little bit of oxygen will be able to give them a little bit more time to be able to get them to the pet hospital.”

As ambulances are primarily for humans, the masks can help increase the chances of animal survival and give them more time to get the proper emergency care.

“It’s just increasing the chance of survival,” Larson said. “Every year there’s estimated somewhere at 500,000 animals are affected by structure fires, so it’s an ongoing thing; a lot of people will try to go back into their homes for their pets.”

“In many cases, we’ll revive them and help them be a pet for another day,” Drechsel said.