EL CAJON–The Heartland Fire and Rescue will receive the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals’ Compassionate Fire Department award for their heroic actions in rescuing a dog from a mobile home fire on January 4.
PETA will send a letter of appreciation, a framed certificate, a box of vegan chocolates, and a package of special oxygen masks designed specifically for dogs, cats, and other animals.
El Cajon’s Heartland Fire and Rescue, with the help of the San Miguel Fire Protection District, responded to a blaze at a mobile home on S. Second Street in El Cajon. When the rescue workers heard barking in the home, Heartland Fire and Rescue’s Brendan Saffer plunged into the smoke-filled home to retrieve Mojo, a Chihuahua who had fallen unconscious. Mojo was in grave condition, but Heartland Fire & Rescue’s firefighter Rob Laatsch and paramedic Travis Timmins used an oxygen mask meant for human babies to revive him. The dog was taken to an animal hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation.
“El Cajon’s bravest are also some of El Cajon’s kindest,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “We hope the rescue workers’ compassion and ingenuity will inspire others always to come to the aid of animals in need.”
In September, the Alpine and Viejas fire departments received a PETA award for rescuing a dog stuck in a narrow crevasse.
