LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – All four major fire departments in the Las Vegas Valley are receiving training to ensure they are equipped to rescue household pets.

FOX5 reports Clark County Fire Marshals When we took action to rescue a house cat last month, we learned that this training is not unique to Clark County.

The recorded video shows the moment crews unhesitatingly administered chest compressions and oxygen to Robert Moseley’s cat ‘Pooka’.

“This video shows the proper level of care,” Clark County K9 Paramedic Joey Virtuoso says as he watches the rescue. “What we will do is give them oxygen and help with supportive care, and it can be as simple as showing up like we love them.”

Las Vegas Fire and Rescue Capt. John Jolley says rescuing a pet starts with the call. When there is a fire, animals hide.

“We really have to be aware of using extra searching and search techniques to find pets, especially under beds, in closets, in corners,” Jolley says.

All departments agree that it is important to let firefighters conduct the rescue, but if the owner has an idea where their pet is hiding, it would be helpful to notify firefighters.

“You can let the firefighters know we’re coming in. Like, ‘Hey, he likes to hide under the bed in the room on the left upstairs,'” says North Las Vegas Firefighter Ryan Beaulieu. “That will be one of the first things we check.”

Moseley says ‘Pooka’ used his Air Tag to alert responding teams to his location, but he also thinks the reflective collar he wore aided their search.

When an animal is located, all four departments have animal oxygen masks of different sizes in each vehicle.

CPR-trained teams are also on board, ready to help regardless of the size or breed of the animals.

“We will keep larger animals, such as a German Shepherd or Husky, with them while we perform CPR. “We’ll do smaller dogs like a Chihuahua or a Pekingese, like a baby with our hands wrapped around each other,” says Henderson Fire Department Medical Services Officer Sean Friedland.

Thanks to this training, ‘Pooka’ has now recovered and returned to his family.

Fire Officials also say it’s important to include pets in home fire escape plans, such as remembering to check their favorite hiding spots.

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