The Moore County Leadership Institute (MCLI) will be collecting donations to obtain pet oxygen masks for each of the Moore County Fire Departments. These masks will be used by local firefighters who come across pets suffering from smoke inhalation during a house fire.
MCLI, an annual Moore County Chamber of Commerce program, comprises of business leaders in the community who are looking to “Discover, Expand, Grow and Serve”. Each year, MCLI participants select community service projects that enrich the lives of others in Moore County.
The group learned the need for these masks from Scot Brooks, the Moore County Emergency Manager, during one of their community tours. “Only a few fire departments have the pet oxygen masks, and it would be great if we could get one set for each of the 22 fire departments in Moore County. There is a need for this type of equipment because a lot of homeowners have pets that stay at home alone while they are away at work.”
This need was evident during a recent house fire in Aberdeen where two dogs were saved using the pet oxygen masks on May 1, 2019. Animals tend to hide during a fire instead of running outside and can die from smoke asphyxiation. The pet oxygen mask kit contains three different sized masks that are reusable and can be store with the fire truck or emergency vehicle.
This year, the MCLI team is split into three groups, and Team A took on the challenge to collect enough donations to obtain two pet oxygen mask kits for each of the 22 fire departments. Participants on the team include Leslie Carson, Christopher Gregg, Darnell Marks, Jack McClelland, Kasia McDaniel, Julie McNicol and Kirsten Ostby.
The group will be collecting donations at local community events and at Yappy Hour scheduled for July 17 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Timmel Pavilion in the Pinehurst Village Arboretum. They will also have collection jars at Carolina Barbell Gym and Pinetree Animal Hospital in Aberdeen.
If you cannot make it to these locations a GoFundMe page is set up and can be found at https://www.gofundme.com/moore-county-pet-oxygen-masks-needed
Courtesy photo/Contributed.
