Charleston Firefighters Receive PETA Award for Heroic Rescue of Dog

Animal Stranded in Water Tank Is Pulled to Safety

For Immediate Release:
June 28, 2010

Contact:
Amanda Fortino 757-622-7382

Charleston, Ill. -- Firefighters Rob Plummer and Kiel Schaljo of the Charleston Fire Department will receive PETA's Compassionate Action Award for their heroic rescue of a dog from a tank at a water-treatment facility.

According to news reports, passersby reported hearing a dog barking inside the water-treatment facility on June 20. The firefighters who responded to the call climbed down into a 14-foot-deep tank, attached a harness to the 80-pound dog, and pulled him out. The dog was frightened but uninjured, and he was reunited with his guardians, who had reported him missing.

"The compassion shown by the Charleston Fire Department will serve as an inspiration to others throughout the community and beyond," says PETA Vice President Daphna Nachminovitch. "Charleston is very fortunate to have a public agency that is ready to protect and serve both the city's human and nonhuman residents."

Plummer and Schaljo will receive a framed certificate and a letter of appreciation.

For more information, please visit PETA's Web site HelpingAnimals.com.