CLARINGTON -- When people from his company heard about an American study indicating 40,000 domestic pets die in house fires each year, they knew they had to do something, says Steve Welsh of Invisible Fence.
"We're all pet owners and pet lovers," said Mr. Welsh, who runs the company's Orono location.
So, after oxygen masks made to fit pets were found, the company's representatives started a bid to help equip fire departments with the devices. Last week, Mr. Welsh turned five of them over to Clarington's Fire Department to allow for one on each pumper, one each from Clarington's five fire stations.
The masks are made of reusable hard plastic, with a "diaphragm on them that can be used to resuscitate pets," Mr. Welsh explained.
Previously, firefighters had been using a breathing apparatus designed for adults or children, but that resulted in the air simply flowing past the pet, he said.
The ones designed for animals are "bell-shaped, designed to fit the animal's muzzle," Mr. Welsh said. That allows firefighters to use "positive pressure" to get the oxygen to the animal more efficiently.
The masks retail for between $160 and $180 but Invisible Fence dealers "buy them from the distributors so we get them at a good price," Mr. Welsh said.
He's donated to a number of different fire departments in his area and has seen the benefit.
"Peterborough had some success with one," Mr. Welsh said. "They used it within a month" of receiving the donation.
"We're happy to do it," Mr. Welsh said.
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