ANIMALS who end up caught in a fire now stand a higher chance of survival following the introduction of a new type of oxygen mask in fire engines.
South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue has partnered up with Smokey Paws, which has supplied each fire engine with a pet oxygen mask.
These new masks are specially designed to fit over the snout of an animal and come in three different sizes to deliver a better flow of oxygen to the animal, increasing their chance of survival.
Smokey Paws was created by Lynn Carberry and her husband Brian Lockyer, in Weston-super-Mare and has provided critical, pet life-saving oxygen masks to the UK’s fire services.
South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue has attended 133 house fires over the past five years which have involved pets.
Station manager Wayne Sutcliffe said: “We attend many house fires where pets are involved, in the past we have used normal oxygen masks to attempt to revive them.
“Thankfully with the supply of these specifically designed masks we will now be able to save even more beloved family pets.”
A spokesman for Smokey Paws said: “We would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who has helped our campaign, working towards our mission of making sure every UK fire engine is equipped with our masks, with South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service now fully equipped thanks to kind donations.”
