Teamwork, training, tools prove big in saving animals during fire

One firefighter described how teamwork and training played a major role in those rescues.

"We were really thankful for this," said Emily Hannigan, who works at the Durham Fire Department. "Especially in this instance. Because there were so many animals."

Hannigan is talking about the pet oxygen masks that helped save several animals' lives earlier this week.

"A local vet, Sabrina Grinstead at Eno Animal Hospital, made a big donation for us this past year," Hannigan said. "They are adaptable to our oxygen tanks and they go completely over the snout of the animal."

Hannigan said these kits were crucial in order to rescue as many animals as they could during the fire at Falconbridge Animal Hospital.

"The fact that every truck in the city has one of these kits now was definitely an asset," Hannigan said.

Before joining the Durham Fire Department, Hannigan worked as a veterinarian assistant at different animal hospitals around Durham.

"I had worked at a lot of local animal hospitals prior to joining the fire department," Hannigan said. "So I knew where it was, and I had a pit in my stomach because I knew there would be a lot of animals there."

Seven cats died in the fire, but more than a dozen dogs made it out okay thanks to the teamwork of the Durham Fire Department, the Durham Police Department and EMS. The pet oxygen masks also played a critical role during the rescue.

"Undoubtedly," Hannigan said. "If we didn't have this tool, I would've felt much more helpless than I already did on scene. Without these, for some of the pets, it would have been a different outcome."