Although the Colorado Springs Fire Department is here to protect the public first, firefighters are now better equipped to assist furry, four-legged friends on the scene.

The Fire Foundation of Colorado Springs, along with the Westside Animal Hospital, donated $4,500 to the Colorado Springs Fire Department in honor of retired CSFD Deputy Chief Steven Dubay for the supply of pet-friendly oxygen kits, the department announced in a recent social media post. 

Dubay, who worked 36 years with the department, and his wife, Marta, have a deep love for helping animals, which led to the idea for the kits, said Ashley Franco, a spokesperson with the Fire Department.

El Paso County Animal Law Enforcement Sergeant Nichole Michon told Gazette news partner KOAA that although pets will realize something is wrong, they are often unable to escape a burning structure on their own.

“They know that something’s wrong, but they don’t quite have the capacity to be able to remove themselves from that danger,” Michon said.

CSFD Deputy Chief Steve Wilch told KOAA that although firefighters will initially enter a burning structure to save human lives, firefighters and EMTs can also deliver lifesaving skills on pets who have suffered the impacts of smoke and fire.

“Firefighters, we are trained in our emergency medical skills, But we also know we can deliver some of those lifesaving skills to a pet through the oxygen delivery and stimulation,” Wilch said.

The “SED kits,” named after Dubay, will be secured on every department fire apparatus and will serve one “very important purpose”— to save pets who have been stuck in a structure fire and need medical attention, specifically oxygen.

Gazette news partner KOAA contributed to this report.