Lincoln Firefighters Receive PETA Award for Pulling Dog From Burning Building

First Responders Retrieve Puppy From Burning Apartment and Reunite Him With Relieved Guardian

For Immediate Release:
April 21, 2015

Contact:
Lincoln, Neb.

A Compassionate Fire Department Award is on its way from PETA to the Lincoln Fire & Rescue Department, which responded to a fire in an apartment building in downtown Lincoln on April 13. Although the apartment’s human residents had made it to safety, a 6-month-old puppy named Brooks remained trapped inside. Firefighters used a ladder to reach the second floor, broke the window, and safely retrieved the dog from the smoke-filled building—just seconds before the floors began to collapse. Brooks was unharmed and reunited with his guardian, who told news sources, “He’s my little miracle.”

“These brave firefighters sprang into action to make sure that all of this building’s residents, including one frightened puppy, made it to safety,” says PETA Senior Director Colleen O’Brien. “PETA hopes that their determination will inspire others to always come to the aid of animals in need.”

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way”—encourages all animal guardians to put a sign on doors or windows to alert rescue workers to the presence of dogs and cats. Families can order stickers from the PETA Catalog or make their own.

The Lincoln Fire & Rescue Department will receive 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 a plant-based diet.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.