HANOVER TOWNSHIP – A teenager from an animal-loving family has made it his mission to buy special pet oxygen masks for unequipped fire departments in Luzerne County.
Jakub Mims told Newswatch 16 that the $75 kits include three different masks, that are designed for cats and dogs.
“We were talking about house fires and how many animals don`t make it. That makes me really sad,” said Mims. "We want our animals to be safe too, if we ever have a fire. So yeah, we want our animals to live and hopefully anybody else’s animals that are in a fire that need help.”
The 13 year old’s mother told Newswatch 16 that she’s impressed with his passion to help pets and firefighters.
"We`re big animal lovers,” said Dawn Mendygral. “He’s a good boy, an awesome kid. I’m proud of him. And it’s good for him too. It’s a good experience to give back to his community.”
Wilkes-Barre Fire Chief Jay Delaney told Newswatch 16 that his department does not have any specialized masks yet, but firefighters have been able to save several pets with oxygen masks designed for people.
"They're just like a human being. If they`ve had some inhalation, we have the ability to treat them with oxygen,” said Delaney. “For right now, we use devices that we use on human beings. We`ve had some good results with that. But certainly, there are more optimal products that are on the market today.”
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