Creston – The Ogle-Lee Fire Protection District has received a donation of pet oxygen mask from Invisible Fence through the company’s Project Breathe program.
Project Breathe provides fire departments and other first responders with pet oxygen masks at no cost to the department. Although the U.S. Fire Administration does not keep official statistics, industry sources estimate 40,000 to 150,000 pets die each year in fires. Most succumb to smoke inhalation. The pet oxygen masks are specifically designed to deliver oxygen to animals to increase the chance of resuscitation. So far the program has saved an estimated 10,000 pets from fires and smoke inhalation.
Ogle-Lee Firefighters from the district’s Creston, Steward, Hillcrest and Flagg Center stations received their mask kits and training on use of the kits on Monday, April 16 at the Creston fire station.
The donation and training was provided by Paul Prohaska of Invisible Fence of Northwest Illinois and his assistant, Gus.