After Saving Dog From a Wildfire, Woman Donates More Than 7,500 Pet Oxygen Masks – This Dogs Life

With the west still feeling the heat of this season's forest fires, an organization is on a mission to help our four-legged friends who are also victims of these fires.

For almost a decade the Emma Zen Foundation In Anaheim, California, fire departments and first responders were provided with life-saving pet masks for dogs, cats (and other animals!) Rescued from fire. And this season is no different. With the unprecedented wildfire season in California and Oregon, it's imperative that animals are included in rescue efforts as well.

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However, Debra Jo Chiapuzio, the founder of the Emma Zen Foundation, believes that a major hurdle in saving pets is for communities not to think about the problem until it's too late.

"We are emergency preparedness, not emergency aid," says Chiapuzio of her non-profit organization, which relies on public funding for the masks. "We can't just hand in kits - the local fire department has to be set up with them before they're needed."

And while human masks can work for dogs, they're not ideal.

The masks that are used on people have a little curve that allows them to conform to our faces. When it comes to helping pets, the best way to do this is to put them in front of an animal's nose and turn the air all the way up. This is commonly known as the "blow-by-air" technique, says Chiapuzio.

But the masks that Chiapuzio donates to fire brigades and first aiders are cone-shaped, so that they fit snuggly over the muzzle. "They have rubber seals that allow a seal over the nose and create a directed flow of oxygen into the nostrils while the mouth stays closed," she says. "This simulates proper CPR for first aid on pets."

The mission behind the Emma Zen Foundation began in 2007 after fires in Orange County, California and Chiapuzio had ravaged a life crisis.

“At this point in my life, I wasn't particularly comfortable finding myself at the local animal shelter looking for a companion,” she says.

Here she saw a calm dog that fell victim to the fires, and while many were stressed out, she remained calm even after a chicken came loose. Chiapuzio knew that her zen-like behavior was badly needed in her life.

Photo courtesy Debra Jo Chiapuzio

As a medical tattoo artist, Chiapuzio was also a first aid trainer for pets. "I was able to see my first pet oxygen masks and how many didn't know that was the purpose," she says. But she knew she wanted the pets to be safe in her town with Emma (who is a bit famous in the biking community after traveling more than 75,000 miles in a motorcycle sidecar).

After starting with her local fire department in 2010, she found a need outside her community. “I started reading our post comments online. People would say, 'I wish my pet had the same benefit' or 'How can I protect my dog ​​like this? "

Chiapuzio began tracking fires and contacting the fire departments in the area to see how she could get pet masks into their vehicles.

“I felt like I was behind the fire, but it was a start,” she says, adding, “Today, with so much of the West on fire, I watch the morning news and think, 'Okay, this department is covered 'or' this county has pet oxygen masks. '”

To date, the Emma Zen Foundation has donated more than 7,500 masks, but Chiapuzio knows there is still room for growth.

Photo courtesy Debra Jo Chiapuzio

"Emergency preparedness is an action! We cannot sit back and do nothing and then wonder when we have nothing to do when an unexpected situation arises. "She says," If your city has this equipment, it's no reason not to support the Emma Zen Foundation. Most of the time, it's someone in another state who has made it possible for your area to receive your department's pet. ..