Palm Bay Firefighters Nab PETA Award for Saving Cats From House Fire

Brave Firefighters Used Special Oxygen Mask to Revive Unresponsive Cat

For Immediate Release:
May 11, 2018

Contact:
Megan Wiltsie 202-483-7382

A Compassionate Fire Department Award is on its way from PETA to Palm Bay Fire Rescue, which responded to a house fire on Bianca Drive N.E. on Sunday afternoon. Firefighters searched through the home and discovered that while the human occupants had evacuated, cats remained inside. Two had died in the fire, but firefighters were able to rush the two surviving cats outside—and because one was unconscious, firefighter Sean Casey and driver engineer Jacob Couture used a special oxygen mask to revive her (as dramatic video footage shows).

“These courageous firefighters did everything that they could to save these cats, and they even brought one back from the brink of death,” says PETA Vice President Colleen O’Brien. “PETA hopes their kindness and bravery will inspire people everywhere to act when animals are in need.”

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way”—reminds all animal guardians to have an emergency plan for their animal companions, including having carriers ready to grab in case of fires or other emergencies. 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 Catalog or make their own.

The fire department will receive a package of PETA’s fire-alert stickers, a framed certificate, an award letter, 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.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.