VIRGINIA BEACH
It may sound like a strange thing: firefighters training to give CPR to dogs and cats.
There's a dog mannequin, a canine version of Resusci Anne. Firefighters learn to give mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to animals.
"It's called mouth-to-snout," said Melissa Roberts, a veterinary technician at Beach Pet Hospital.
Roberts will be honored tonight at the annual Virginia Beach Fire Department awards ceremony for her effort to train firefighters to give animal CPR.
This summer, Roberts held classes during her lunch hour and taught animal CPR to 455 firefighters and dozens of other city personnel.
"I can't believe that she came out here about 30 different times," Michael Barakey, battalion chief of training, said. "She had a dog mannequin, live animals, her dog, a cat."
Roberts also taught the firefighters how to restrain an animal already scared by a traumatic event. Beach Pet provided five collars for each fire truck, Barakey said.
At nearly every house or apartment fire the department responds to, he said, there is some kind of pet inside.
Roberts showed the firefighters how to take a pulse on a real dog, her yellow Lab, Hudson. And she showed them what to do when a dog is guarding the body of its unconscious owner - use a chair as a buffer to back the dog away.
Sometimes, Roberts said, the techniques she taught may not seem appropriate, but they are the best way to do the job.
Like when she showed them how to remove a cat. "It doesn't look pretty," Roberts said, "when I scruff a cat."
Lon Wagner, (757) 222-5119, Lon.Wagner@pilotonline.com
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Pet CPR KITS
No Not all ambulances in Virginia Beach have pet CPR kits. I wish we did! I think we should all have them. My station has just gotten one kit. But, the officers from my station will not put it out until we get a second kit, so both ambulances we run will have them I also would love to get training!! I think the fire dept have them on the engines.Iam a Local EMT.
Animal CPR
I did CPR on a cat once. I didn't like tuna fish after that. Yes, the cat did live.
Two points
First most ambulances have a device to give cpr to animals.
Second How do I meet up with the Vet Tech? She is very attractive!
Citizens extraordinaire
What a fantastic story. I am equally impressed by both the Dr. Robert's dedication and the VBFD's willingness to think in creative ways. Virginia Beach should be proud to have her and the individuals of the Fire Department as members of their community.
As the Boy Scout motto goes, "Be Prepared". Thank-you, Dr. Roberts!
Bravo Zulu
BZ good job and a lot of sacrifice so that pets may live.
Animal CPR
Very ambitious, but EWWWWWW!