Clallam County emergency responders pose with dogs and new pet oxygen masks purchased by local businesses. From left are Clallam Fire District No. 2 firefighter Rick Leffler with Kodiak and Assistant Chief Mike DeRousie; Port Angeles Fire Department firefighter Erik Sundin

Clallam County emergency responders pose with dogs and new pet oxygen masks purchased by local businesses. From left are Clallam Fire District No. 2 firefighter Rick Leffler with Kodiak and Assistant Chief Mike DeRousie; Port Angeles Fire Department firefighter Erik Sundin

Clallam County businesses pitch in to buy pet oxygen masks for fire departments

PORT ANGELES — Clallam County pets, from a rabbit to a Great Dane, now have a better chance of surviving a house fire thanks to a business owner and dog trainer.

Paul Collins, owner of Enviroclean NW and a dog trainer, recently organized a donation drive to purchase five pet oxygen mask kits for local use after hearing of a donation of 20 such masks to the Seattle Fire Department in July.

The masks are going to the Port Angeles Fire Department; Clallam County Fire District No. 2, which protects county areas surrounding Port Angeles; and Clallam County Fire District No. 4, located in the Joyce area.

“It’s the least I can do for my community. People love their fur babies,” Collins said.

Each kit comes with a small, medium and large face piece that is shaped to fit a snout and can be used to aid animals overcome by carbon monoxide or smoke inhalation.

The shape of the masks are designed to fit on an animal muzzle, but otherwise they are nearly identical to those used for humans, Collins said.

Each mask can be used several times before they must be replaced, he said.

Collins works with dogs daily and uses a highly trained dog to detect toxic molds for his business.

His newest dog, Isa, a 2-year-old Belgian Malinois, is trained to detect 18 types of toxic molds and is also a trained personal protection dog, he said.

Isa is special to him, he said, and if something happened in his home, he would hope that Isa could be saved.

Collins said fire officials he spoke to said fire departments have to prioritize their budgets, and pet oxygen masks are something fire departments usually want but other expenses take a higher priority.

He approached several other business owners for help in purchasing the $150 masks and received donations from Common Grounds, Strait Orthopedic & McGovern Therapy Specialists, Smugglers Landing, Beauty by Vanessa and Runs With Scissors.

“These businesses stepped up. These were not small donations,” Collins said.

Mask kits have been delivered to the Port Angeles Fire Department and Fire District No. 2, and he said he plans to visit Joyce later this week to present Fire District No. 4 with their mask set.

Collins said his next project is to gather donations from Sequim-area businesses to buy masks for Clallam County Fire District No. 3 and then later move the project to Jefferson County businesses and fire departments.

He said he did not yet know how many masks Sequim fire officials want or need.

The target is to eventually get one pet mask kit on each medical rig in every fire district on the North Olympic Peninsula, he said.

He said he plans for donations to stay in the community where they were made.

Donations can be made for more masks by phoning Collins at 360-670-4595.

Port Angeles already had some masks, but the new ones are a good supplement to those they had, said Port Angeles Fire Lt. Mike Sanders.

It is rare to need a pet mask, and Sanders said he didn’t know of any instance of their use.

While no official statistics exist for the number of pets that die in fires, it is thought an estimated 40,000 to 150,000 pets perish annually, according Invisible Fence and Project Breathe. Most of those deaths are due to smoke inhalation.

In Port Angeles, a fire in a home at 218 E. Lopez Ave. last Wednesday killed Patrick L. Lewis, 63, and 12 of 13 dogs in the house.

The masks carried by the Port Angeles Fire Department were not used in that fire, as the only dog who survived did not need it, Sanders said.

________

Reporter Arwyn Rice can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5070, or at arice@peninsuladailynews.com.

More in News

Highway 112 partially reopens to single-lane traffic

Maintenance crews have partially reopened state Highway 112 between… Continue reading

Laken Folsom, a Winter Ice Village employee, tries to remove leaves that blew in from this week’s wind storm before they freeze into the surface of the rink on Thursday. The Winter Ice Village, operated by the Port Angeles Chamber of Commerce in the 100 block of West Front Street, opens today and runs through Jan. 5. Hours are from noon to 9 p.m. daily. New this year is camera showing the current ice village conditions at www.skatecam.org. (Dave Logan/for Peninsula Daily News)
Ice village opens in Port Angeles

Laken Folsom, a Winter Ice Village employee, tries to remove leaves that… Continue reading

Fort PDA receiver protecting assets

Principal: New revenue streams needed

Ella Biss, 4, sits next to her adoptive mother, Alexis Biss, as they wait in Clallam County Family Court on Thursday for the commencement of the ceremony that will formalize the adoption of Ella and her 9-year-old brother John. (Emma Maple/Peninsula Daily News)
Adoption ceremony highlights need for Peninsula foster families

State department says there’s a lack of foster homes for older children, babies

Legislature to decide fate of miscalculation

Peninsula College may have to repay $339K

The Sequim Valley Lions Club donated $5,000 the Sequim Unit of the Boys Girls Clubs of the Olympic Peninsula.
Mary Budke, on left, and Norma Turner, on right, received the donation on behalf of the Boys Girls Clubs.
Lions donation

The Sequim Valley Lions Club donated $5,000 the Sequim Unit of the… Continue reading

Jae McGinley
Jae McGinley selected for fellowship, scholarship

Jae McGinley has been selected for the Next Generation… Continue reading

A street sweeper on I Street in Port Angeles cleans up the street along the curbs of all the debris that blew down during Tuesday evening’s storm. Thousands were without power at the peak of the storm. (Dave Logan/for Peninsula Daily News)
Storm causes power outages, road closures

Smaller weather system may hit Friday

Port Angeles funds lodging tax requests

Sixteen applications to undergo review

Port Townsend’s Water Street sewer project gets funds

City council authorizes contracts; construction to start in January

Port of Port Angeles commissioners approve 2025 budget

Board OKs project that would treat seawater to make it less acidic