The unthinkable happens. Your house goes up in flames. You run outside to safety, but your beloved pet is still inside, trying to escape.

Now, the Bedford Fire Department can not only rescue your furry friend from the burning building, but save their lives with a new donation of pet oxygen masks.

“A lot of times, we roll up to a scene of a working house fire and they may say, ‘hey, we have pets inside’. We are fortunate enough to rescue that pet that’s still able to be saved and be able to administer oxygen. EMS would be a big part in that as well,” said Bedford Fire Department, Assistant Chief, Keenan Fink.

The five masks kits came from Joanne Wiegel, daughter of lifetime member of the fire department John Elliot, who passed away in 2011. The masks are made by Wag’N O2 Fur Life, a company based out of Vancouver, Washington.

The three sizes of the mask are designed to fit the face of animals large and small. And they work just as an oxygen mask for humans would, so any trained EMT can learned quickly how to use the new gear.

Fink hopes that having these masks will bring a sense of comfort to pet owners in the area.

“Of course, my wife and I would be devastated if we lost a pet due to a fire,” said Fink. “So it would be great if there was anything that we can do for pet owners feel more comfortable.”

As for what pet owners can do to be more prepared, there are CPR classes for pets available. And EMT Daily Chandlers says this is a great reminder to folks about keeping pets save in all places.

“I see this as something far beyond simple fire calls, but as we all know, people can sometimes leave animals in vehicles and other situations where this is gonna be very applicable and we’re looking forward to serving the community a little better because of this generous donation,” said Chandler.