Special to the Herald

SPRINGFIELD -- Effingham County Fire Rescue (ECFR) is highly prepared and equipped to handle all sorts of emergency situations.

Although people will always be the department’s chief priority, pets and property are important to it, too.

Thanks to the generosity of HOPE (Helping Our Pets of Effingham) and its late founder, Pat Manser, ECFR stations are outfitted with a Fido Bag, a specialized emergency kit designed to help firefighters rescue pets.

ECFR’s 15 Fido Bags include oxygen masks, burn sheets, bandages and other first-aid supplies specifically for pets. They help ensure that animals receive immediate care and have a better chance of survival during emergencies.

“One of the reasons that we acquired these Fido Bags is that each year at least a half million pets are affected and at least 40,000 of them die from smoke inhalation,” said Firefighter Jesse Dent of ECFR Station No. 13 in Guyton. “With these devices, we hope to cut that number in half.”

The bags cost $90 each. They are a product of the Fetch Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to saving and changing lives in the human and animal communities.