Bessemer Fire Department Nabs PETA Award for Saving Dog From House Fire

Grateful Dog Immediately Jumped Into Firefighter’s Arms

For Immediate Release:
August 9, 2019

Contact:
Megan Wiltsie 202-483-7382

A Compassionate Fire Department Award is on its way from PETA to the Bessemer Fire Department, which responded to a house fire on First Avenue on the afternoon of Thursday, August 1.

When firefighters arrived on the scene, they discovered that, although the human occupants had evacuated, their beloved dog, Tide, was still inside. With the house engulfed in heavy smoke and fire, they entered, crawling past a melted couch and into a bedroom. They lifted up a mattress, and there was Tide, who immediately jumped into the arms of one of the men. “Once we got him outside, he ran toward his family,” Chief Randall McFarland told PETA. “We worked to get him [oxygen], and our crew went back in to put out the fire. With that level of heat and smoke, his survival was something to celebrate.”

“These courageous firefighters didn’t hesitate to enter a burning home and get the beloved, terrified dog trapped inside to safety,” says PETA Vice President Colleen O’Brien. “PETA hopes their kindness and bravery will inspire people everywhere to take action whenever animals are in need.”

PETA reminds all animal guardians to have an emergency plan for their animal companions, including having carriers and leashes ready to grab in case of a fire or other emergency. Families are encouraged to watch PETA’s fire-safety video and post signs on their doors or windows in order to alert rescue workers to the presence of dogs, cats, and other animal companions in the home. Guardians can order stickers from the PETA Shop or make their own.

The fire department will receive a package of PETA’s fire-alert stickers, a framed certificate, a box of delicious vegan cookies, and a copy of The Engine 2 Diet—a Texas firefighter’s 28-day plan for staying in prime firefighting shape by eating vegan meals.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way”—opposes speciesism, which is a human-supremacist worldview. For more information, please visit PETA.org.