California Fire Station Receives Pet Oxygen Masks

[News]

A local veterinary hospital donated 33 masks to the department.

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[DwayneEMTP]

Firefighters lead the charge to take over EMS when their jobs peter out..and succeed...

Lead the charge to retard educational standards in EMS so that it has to stagnate in 1975...and succeed...

Now they want to lead the charge to make sure that 911 is flooded with calls for people's sick pets, guaranteeing that humans will have to wait for care...and I have no doubt that they will succeed...

Yeah man...The fire services have been awesome for EMS...

[triemal04]

So what's your real gripe?

That in general the fire service has realized that they can use the media and publicity to their advantage?

Or that in general non-fire EMS agencies have not realized this?

Edit: Should probably add that articles like that aren't anything new; fire departments have been doing things like that for years...and getting written up in papers when they use that equipment or otherwise "rescue" somone's pet from a fire. Nothing new...just another example of how you keep in the public's good graces.

Edited September 24, 2012 by triemal04

[DwayneEMTP]

I guess that is my gripe...

They are masters of creating change, and presenting it in such a way that the people that they are meant to serve don't see that they're actually giving them a big 'fuck you', creating a weaker system, yet all the while be seen as more heroic.

Do I mind that they use the media to their advantage? I don't really, as that's good business, and fire is certainly more of a fantasy/media business than a service. But do I mind that they use it to keep causing EMS to take giant leaps backwards in terms of higher quality of medical care and it's delivery? Yeah...

I guess I was just bitching....I don't have the answers...

[triemal04]

Fair enough.

Personally I read that article and got a little embarrassed; for the fire department, the fire service in general, and the paper for publishing a puff piece like that. Sad sad sad.

I also got a little disturbed by the fact that EMS services and non-fire EMS personell, despite knowing the benefits (and if they don't know then they ARE part of the problem) of the right kind of publicity and media contacts have yet to make any real gains in that area.

People want to complain, but fingers need to be pointed in more than one direction for the current state of affairs.

[Chief1C]

I actually have a set of these, but I had to buy them, the O2 Fur Life kit, play on words there. The purpose is to give oxygen, or adapt a BVM, if (you have to see the size) a dog or cat is pulled from a smokey house fire. They'll fit say, kitten to large dog. But really, they're specifically shaped for a dog. About all you could do for a cat, is blow by. Which I've done before, with an oxygen hose and a Styrofoam cup. And it worked. Of course we pulled the cats out pretty early in the game, and it was a partition fire, so there was no heat factors really. Just some black smoke. The company, "Wag'N", took it upon themselves to advertise the fact that I purchased it, in our local paper, totally w/o my permission. Even though damn near every knows my phone number, b/c that's just a rural thing, everyone knows an EMT's phone number... Nobody ever called. Nor did they call 911 to request it, nor have any companies called for mutual aid to have it sent. You either have it, or you don't; and if you don't... a cup and oxygen hose will do just fine.

That's basically two vents, you can cover them w/ a finger to use a BVM; and the plastic cone; and a rubber disc as the mask cuff.

[DFIB]

To be honest I would like to have one of the doggy O2 mask as I am occasionally on violent scenes where K-9 units are working. I have never had to care for an injured service dog although I have trained somewhat to do so.

I do believe that the article was really referring to something else entirely and my thought is most likely off topic.

[DwayneEMTP]

To tell the truth, part of it for me is smudging the lines between humans and non humans. We, in only rare locations, have the ability to care for humans well in emergent situations, do we really want to begin to make things even more complicated? How about if we solve the problems that we have now, and then worry about adding patients to the waiting list? Of course, fire, nationally speaking, is rarely concerned with such things...

Should we show compassion to all living things? I believe that we should. But the whole, "animals are people too!" stuff makes me a bit crazy. And honoring police dogs as "heroes"...I really hate that. Not because they're not valuable, but because once again it ignores the incredible things that they are by trying to infuse what they do with human characteristics.

Does the police dog attack because he sees a gun, and sensing the danger to his human partner selflessly risks his life out of love and ultimate sacrafice? Of course not. The dog has been trained to enjoy his naturally aggressive instincts (those that all of us have) and has been taught that when he sees a gun he can then exercise and fulfill those instincts without getting into trouble. He's excited because he gets to enter into a gnarly cool dick measuring contest that ultimately ends up with a reward. That's not heroic, that's basic canine behavior.

The other is akin to considering two highchool jocks, and when, immediately following being called a 'fag', one boy beats the other to a pulp. Does it make sense to say, "Mike, having recognized the homosexual slur was offended on behalf of all of those that continue to be repressed based on sexual orientation and in a rage fueled by his love and respect for his gay brothers and sisters put himself at great risk, to include his own LIFE, to speak for those unable to speak for themselves.." Bullshit, right? One kid called another kid out, they wanted to see who had the biggest weenie, and that is as far as the internal intellectual debate continued.

Do I have an issue with someone that, upon finding a gasping kitten on a fire scene when no humans are present gives blowby O2 to help it out? I don't really.

Do I have an issue when we begin stocking emergency ambulances with pet supplies? Yeah..I do. This is just the beginning...fire will soon be taking Animal EMS courses, etc, for the photo ops if nothing else, and people will continue to call (it's already happening) and that volume will increase...or so I believe.

We have a broken system that wants to add volume and variety...Hmmm...what could possibly go wrong?

[Chief1C]

In a nutshell.. It's really good PR, that you can utilize w/ no strings attached, and sometimes when you do good things that you don't have to do.. People give you money. That's a plus.

It's not like we can put a picture in the paper of metaphorical patient Steve, who is shown being "saved". That would be a privacy violation. But an EMT holding a kitten in a blanket that you just saved, makes people all gooey and warm, and get out the check book. That's a shitty way to look at things, but hey, shit's expensive, and money helps. So, if you use it for its intended purpose, and you use it to your advantage, but not exploit it, mehhh..

I keep them in my car, in the thing where the jack is supposed to go. The spare tire fell off, so why carry a jack? That's what AAA is for...

[DFIB]

I have to agree somewhat with you Dwayne. I suppose that if you don't have anything better to do with your time you can save the kitten or take the ladder truck out to mack on a girl or dance around with your shirt off or any of that other useless stuff people do for money.

I might take your anthropomorphic argument a step further. I believe that animals are only valuable for the pleasure and products they provide for humans which makes me remember a MVC that I worked a couple of years back. A car was rear ended by a truck and rolled down the side of a mountain. There was a family of five in the car. Tough high angle rescue. Two people were killed in the fall. One other died before we could get her out and one other died at the hospital. I was holding the safety rope and was the last one out. For a reason I only understood latter I grabbed the family dog that had a broke leg before I ascended. The surviving child was surprisingly unscathed and the dog turned out to be the only thing she had left from her family. It was a valuable commodity because it was valuable to the girl.

Do I think we should gear up for Emergency Veterinary care? Absolutely not. Does saving the dog have value to humans. Sometimes more than we would imagine.

EDIT: Sp

Edited September 26, 2012 by DFIB