By HEATHER WALTERS
Two dogs that had inhaled too much smoke in a recent Colleton County house fire were saved, thanks to the quick efforts of local firefighters and the use of special “Fido Bag” animal-saving equipment.
On March 10th, at about 11:50 a.m., firefighters with the Walterboro City Fire Department responded to a house fire on Klein Street. Once on scene, firefighters found “heavy smoke” coming from the back of the single-story house, according to Barry McRoy, chief of Colleton County Fire-Rescue.
Once inside the house, Walterboro City Firefighters came across two dogs that were trapped inside.
Both dogs were rescued from the heavy smoke conditions within 10 minutes of receiving the 911-call. According to McRoy, one dog was “limp and semi-conscious” when a fireman carried it outside.
This dog had been inside, breathing the smoke, longer than the first dog that was found and rescued, he said. “County Firefighter-Paramedics, who were on stand-by for the fire, went to work on the animals, using equipment in their Fido-Bag,” said McRoy.
In Colleton County, every ambulance (medic unit) carries a “Fido Bag,” which is a specialty-designed piece of equipment that gives oxygen to an animal.
According to McRoy, the Colleton County Firefighter-Paramedic who carried the first dog out of the smoke-filled home worked on the animal for about 10 minutes, providing him with oxygen.
The second dog, which was in a more serious health condition than the first, took longer to revive.
Firefighter-paramedics worked on the second dog for about 30 minutes, said McRoy.
“They worked on the second dog until the dog was breathing better and able to stand on his own,” he said.
Both dogs survived the ordeal.
No humans were injured in the fire.
