Firefighters Nab PETA Award for Saving Rabbits From Fire

Cobb County Firefighters Used Special Oxygen Mask to Care for Rabbits Rescued From Burning Building

For Immediate Release:
April 8, 2019

Contact:
Megan Wiltsie 202-483-7382

A Compassionate Fire Department Award is on its way from PETA to the Cobb County Fire Department, which responded to a fire in an apartment building on Terrell Mill Road on Tuesday evening. When a resident informed firefighters that there were rabbits inside the burning building, the rescuers swooped into action to retrieve all six of the animals and provide them with oxygen via a specially designed mask.

“Our department had a donor who donated $2,500 so that all our equipment could have oxygen masks,” firefighter Denell Boyd told PETA. “When there is a fire, it’s very scary for the animals. Cats typically run off, but these rabbits needed a hand.” All six rabbits have been reunited with their guardian.

“These courageous firefighters didn’t hesitate to run in and get these rabbits to safety,” says PETA Vice President Colleen O’Brien. “PETA hopes their kindness and bravery will inspire people everywhere to act when vulnerable animals are in need.”

PETA reminds all animal guardians to have an emergency plan for their animal companions, including having carriers ready to grab in case of fires or other emergencies. Families are encouraged to watch PETA’s fire-safety video and post signs on their doors or windows in order to alert rescue workers to the presence of dogs, cats, and other animal companions in the home. Guardians can order stickers from the PETA Shop or make their own.

The fire department will receive a package of PETA’s fire-alert stickers, a framed certificate, a box of delicious vegan cookies, and a copy of The Engine 2 Diet—a Texas firefighter’s 28-day plan for staying in prime firefighting shape by eating vegan meals.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way”—opposes speciesism, which is a human-supremacist worldview. For more information, please visit PETA.org.