There is an old firefighter story about a lady who insisted that a cat was stuck in a tree and she wanted the firefighter to get it down. The firefighter tells her that the cat isn’t “stuck” and will come down when it gets hungry. When she insists that the cat is stuck and can’t get down the firefighter replies by asking her, “When was the last time you saw a cat skeleton hanging in a tree?”
Yes… Firemen really do “rescue” animals from various situations. It is very common that we will rescue family pets from burning structures. We even carry pet oxygen masks and have revived dogs and cats found in burning houses using CPR. In my 27 years as a firefighter I have also been asked to rescue cats from trees and other high places; snakes from under houses; dogs from drainage pipes, wire entanglements and trenches; a parrot from the roof of a three story apartment building (my personal favorite) and have witnessed other “animal rescue” situations as well.
Generally, “Animal Rescue” simply means the animal is someplace that a human doesn’t want it to be.
Last “B” shift the Irving Fire Department Swift Water Rescue team was called out to rescue 8 ducklings from a drain pipe…
http://youtu.be/7_NhwahCdC4
Earlier this year the New York Post ran this story…
Sometimes cops need heroes too!!!
FDNY rescues cop stuck in tree saving cat. Got it?
An entire unit of laughing firefighters rescued an NYPD cop who got trapped in a tree yesterday — after the officer climbed up to save a scared cat and couldn’t get back down, officials said.
NYPD veteran Dane Natto and his partner responded to frantic 911 calls about a black and white stray feline in the boughs across from PS 213 in Oakland Gardens, Queens.
In front of a crowd of elementary-school students, Natto climbed the tree — but every time he got close to the cat, it scampered up beyond his reach, witnesses said.
“When the officer went up, the cat moved farther away from the trunk . . . There was no way he could get it,” said a witness, Jeff Yu, 22.
“We looked out the window, and we saw the cop inside the tree — sitting,” said Luna Giuong, 19.
“[His] partner was laughing at him,” she added.
Then Natto’s colleague put out a call for assistance from the FDNY.
Sources said dispatchers asked him to repeat what was going on — since they couldn’t believe what they were hearing.
When firefighters arrived, “they didn’t go straight to helping him,” Giuong said. “They all gathered around and laughed at him. They took their time just crowding around. It seemed the officer was enjoying himself.”
After the ribbing, the firefighters used a ladder to climb the tree — and grabbed the quivering cat first.
Then a smiling Natto climbed down the ladder — and the schoolkids broke out in applause.
The embarrassing ordeal took about 30 minutes.
“The Fire Department seemed to be having a good time with it,” Yu said. “[And] the officer seemed like he was having a good time.”
The cat was taken to a local veterinarian.
And other than his ego, Natto was unbruised.
“Everybody’s fine,” said FDNY spokesman Jim Long.
Related articles
- FDNY Worker Makes Daring Dog Rescue from Window Ledge (atlantablackstar.com)
- Lincoln County rescue workers save three cats during mobile home fire (stltoday.com)
- Firefighters rescue, revived cat from burning house (ksl.com)
- Fire Rescue: Cat Falls Out Of Tree Into Canal (bernews.com)
- Despite valiant effort, Hudson firefighters can’t nab trapped tabby (metrowestdailynews.com)
- Firefighters and RSPCA called out for 2 hour operation to rescue CAT from tree (thisismoney.co.uk)
