After reading an article in 1st Responder Newspaper, Detective Richard Cocca of the Roselle Park Police Department contacted the Canine Company.
The Canine Company provides pet oxygen masks to first responders through a donation program called “Project Breathe”. These are not your regular oxygen masks. These masks are specifically targeted for pets.
Company Representative Debra Bennetts was able to provided the Roselle Park Borough with five pet oxygen mask kits (valued at approximately $100.00 per kit). One kit will go to each fire house, EMS, and the police department.
It is estimated that as many as 150,000 pets are killed each year in house fires, many as a result of smoke inhalation.
Back in 2012, the Roselle Park police, fire and EMS responded to an active house fire on Westfield Avenue, where a cat -suffering smoke inhalation - was rescued.
Despite police initiative to use a regular oxygen mask on the cat, the new kits would have more effective.
With the new kits, responders will now have the ability to effectively treat cats and dogs on scene, so they have a better chance of surviving smoke inhalation.
Roselle Park would like to thank the Canine Company for the generous donation. To this date, the company has donated over 11,500 masks to first responders.
Roselle Park Police will be the first Police Department in Union County to carry the masks.
Photo Caption: Roselle Park Fire Department Deputy Chief Jim Smith and his dog Samson, Fire Fighter Edward Kotwica, Roselle Park EMS EMT Kim Reagan,EMT Lisa Malave, and Detective Richard Cocca.