Area Girl Scout Helps Get Pet Oxygen Masks for Local Firefighters

Pet parents in Upper Saddle River can breathe a little easier. Thanks to the initiative of a local high school student and a donation from at-home pet services provider Canine Company, the city’s Fire Department and EMS now have three sets of life-saving pet oxygen masks

The masks were presented to Fire Chief Brandon Bach at a department meeting last night by Jim Hatch, Canine Company’s Bergen County representative, with the help of Caroline Clifford, the Girl Scout who initiated the request for the donation and her Old English Sheepdog Eli.

Caroline, a ninth grader at Northern Highlands Regional High School and a member of Girl Scout Troop #4169, started a community education initiative on pet safety early this spring as part of her Gold Award project. In addition to raising awareness, Caroline wanted to put pet oxygen masks into the hands of local first responders, and started raising money to purchase them.

When she learned about Canine Company’s pet masks campaign, she reached out and the Company offered to donate three sets for Upper Saddle River first responders. Canine Company also provided Caroline with 500 “pets inside” decals that she has been distributing to pet parents. Placed on a front door or window, the decals alert first responders to the presence of pets in the home.

Family pets are at special risk during a home fire because they are unable to leave the house without help. An estimated 40,000 die each year nationwide from smoke inhalation, according to insurance industry estimates. Human oxygen masks do not fit the shape of most pets’ snouts, making it difficult for fires responders to provide life-saving oxygen effectively on scene.

The pet oxygen masks are specifically designed for the shape of an animal’s snout. Each set includes masks in three sizes to fit a wide range of pets – from small mammals like rabbits to giant breed dogs. Donated masks have been used by first responders to save more than two dozen pets over the past year.

“Canine Company was founded by a family of pet lovers and our mission is to help other families keep their pets healthy, safe and happy at home,” says Hatch. “We do that with the products and services we offer, and through our pet masks donation campaign. We are delighted to support Caroline’s pet safety project and provide masks to the Upper Saddle River Fire Department to help protect family pets across the borough.”

Canine Company helps families across New York, New England, and New Jersey keep their pets healthy, safe and happy at home with services like Invisible Fence pet containment systems and Manners dog obedience training. For more information, visit www.caninecompany.com. Over the past decade, the Company has donated masks to more than 500 fire departments and rescue squads across the northeast.