Excerpts from theDailyHerald.com:
More than 20 firefighters and paramedics from departments in central Lake County underwent training recently to help them treat police dogs and civilian pets in emergencies. They learned how to administer fluids intravenously, how to wrap bandages around an injured dog’s head or tail, and how to open an airway through intubation.
The sessions were prompted by questions Mundelein Public Safety Director Eric Guenther had about the police department’s canine, Titan, who joined the force about a year ago.
“What would happen if Titan was injured in the line of duty?” Guenther recalled asking another public safety official. “It’s not something anybody had put too much thought into.”
Veterinarian Alexis Newman led the program showing the firefighters and paramedics how to treat animals injured in fires, car accidents, and other crises. She gave tips for dealing with animals that ingest drugs, ranging from aspirin and Tylenol to heroin and cocaine.
For a real-world example, Newman discussed how police dogs needed medical assistance during the manhunt triggered in September 2015 by the death of a Fox Lake police officer. More than 40 dogs were part of the search on the first day. It was hot, and hyperthermia was a problem, she said. A few dogs needed intravenous fluids because they were so severely overheated.
The skills firefighters learned can be applied using equipment already on their ambulances.
“We’re not using stuff that we haven’t been taught to use (already),” Mundelein Fire Chief Ben Yoder said.
The training also allows firefighters to transport an injured police dog in a fire department ambulance, something state public health rules otherwise forbid.
thanks Dan
