Oxygen masks a breath of fresh air for Fenton pets
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| Steve Birmingham photo/ Fenton Fire Protection District paramedic Ramona Kaminski says the use of animal-specific oxygen masks will help rescue animals injured in fires |
Former St. Louis Cardinals trainer Gene Gieselmann donated five sets of oxygen masks to the Fenton Fire Protection District for use on small dogs, cats and other animals that may suffer smoke inhalation during a fire.
Gieselmann, who along with his wife, Roseanna, is a self-proclaimed animal lover, said his donation was "nothing I wouldn't do for anybody or any animal.""My wife and I are major animal lovers," Gieselmann said. "We live in the fire district and if anyone, or even if I, had the misfortunate of having a fire, I would want my dog to be resuscitated properly."
Gieselmann, the Cardinal's athletic trainer from 1968-97, is also the former owner of Animal Rehabilitation Foundation(ARF) in Fenton, a clinic that offered physical therapy and rehabilitation services to animals recovering from surgeries or injuries.
"At ARF, we would treat dogs just like we did humans with a lot of the same surgeries, such as to knees," he said. "The donation was basically out of our love for animals. I read about the masks, bought the sets and gave them to the fire department. These are made special to fit the snout and muzzle of the animal, allowing the oxygen to get to the animal more efficiently than the human mask could."
Romona Kaminski, a firefighter/paramedic with 10 years experience with the Fenton department, said she was appreciative of the Gieselmann's donation.
"Now, with a lot of fire calls we go on, we'll end up saving more animals' lives," Kaminski said. "Sometimes animals don't get the opportunity to get out of a fire. And even though that probably happens once or twice a year, it's enough to make a difference."
Paramedics would try to use the human oxygen mask when rescuing an animal despite the differences between human and animal anatomies, Kaminski said.
"With these masks we'll have a better shot, and sometimes that's all they need is a little oxygen to perk themselves up," she said. "For people that have animals, they consider that a big deal. A lot of people consider their pets part of their family.
"We're excited that now when we have an animal we have an opportunity to help them," Kaminski said. "Before we didn't have anything to help them with."
Three masks for large, medium and small animals are included in each of five kits, one of which is installed on every piece of fire equipment the district has, Kaminski said.
But would the masks also work on a small pet, such as a gerbil?
"We'll make it work, " Kaminski said. "As firefighters ,we're not used to just standing by saying, 'well, we don't have the right equipment.' We're used to trying anything to help get the job done."
