Firefighters reunite with dog they rescued from Pasadena house fire

Two police officers play fetch with a leaping dog in a park

A Pasadena family’s dog reunited with his rescuers, who pulled him out of a house fire that nearly killed him last week. Owner Fernando said he was out of the country when his wife and kids left their 6-year-old sheltie Milo home alone while they ran some errands. They said a delivery person who happened to be passing by not only saw the smoke but also heard their dog barking and called 911.  Moments later, Ring cameras captured Arcadia firefighters breaking the front-side window. Seconds later, Sierra Madre firefighter Jessica Johnson went into the home.

It was the second-year firefighter’s first active house fire call.  “When I got on scene, I just listened to my captain’s orders and went to work,” Johnson said.  Even as the Pasadena Fire Department arrived, no one heard any barking. Using a thermal imaging camera, Johnson navigated around the heavy smoke. She found Milo after reentering the home three times.  “He was in the living room, right behind this window, just under the table,” Johnson said. “I just happened to catch a glimpse of him, went over, grabbed him and pulled him out.” Milo had suffered major smoke inhalation. Johnson handed the unconscious dog to the team standing by with an animal oxygen mask. 

By that time, Fernando’s wife was rushing home, praying to see her dog again. “Please God, make sure Milo is doing OK,” Leti recalled saying. “Because if not, I don’t know what I’m going to do.” Five minutes passed before Milo suddenly rolled over. While he was dirty and dusty, the family was greatful their beloved Milo was alive.  “I just couldn’t believe he’d just gone from the verge of life and death to basically his normal self,” son Fernando Jr. said. 

On Monday morning, Milo reunited with his rescuers, each of whom received a custom smiling Milo shirt. The family will be out of their home for at least a few months, but they’re grateful to be whole after a veterinarian said Milo will fully recover.

Source: Firefighters reunite with dog they rescued from Pasadena house fire – CBS Los Angeles

Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.
Galatians 6:7

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Off-duty North Texas firefighter saves 3 children trapped under boat on Fourth of July

expansive ocean view underneath clear blue sky

When a firefighter saves someone’s life, they call it “making a grab.” On the Fourth of July, Midlothian firefighter Jason Horne made three of them by rescuing three children trapped under a capsized boat at Alvarado Park Lake. “This is my grab for my career,” Horne said Monday in an interview with The Dallas Morning News. Horne was off-duty on the holiday, spending time with his 12-year-old daughter in their own boat on the lake when they saw another boat and a jet ski floating in the distance and waving them down, Horne said.

Near the waving group was a capsized boat Horne said he didn’t see at first. Horne stopped, told to his daughter to stay in their boat, then dove into the water. He swam to the capsized pontoon boat and realized what had happened. “The people were all yelling, ‘Our babies are under there,'” he said. “So, I went around to the side of the boat, dove underneath the boat.” Horne, who has been a paramedic and firefighter for over 20 years, said he reached up from under the boat and felt a life jacket that a little boy was wearing. He pulled the boy out. “He was a little lethargic, but he was awake and he was breathing,” Horne said.

The second rescue was a little girl. She also was wearing a life jacket, but she wasn’t breathing, Horne said. He pulled her on top of the overturned pontoon boat and started doing chest compressions until he could get her to breathe on her own. At that point someone told Horne another child was still under the boat, so he went back into the water, he said. “I dove back under and I couldn’t find them,” he said. Other boaters came and attempted to flip the capsized pontoon, and the third child emerged, he said. “He had a bunch of ropes and stuff wrapped around him,” Horne said. “We were able to get him up on the front of that pontoon boat. I did CPR on that little boy up there on the pontoon boat for a few minutes while we were headed back to the boat ramp.”

He was able to resuscitate the that boy, Horne said. Horne’s daughter called 911 while her father dove in and out of the water. When Horne and the victims arrived on the shore, he said first responders were waiting for them. All the children in the water had been wearing life jackets, Horne said. During the rescue, he said the victim’s family looked terrified. Horne said he remained focused. “The only thing going through my mind: Don’t die, and find these kids as fast as you can and get them out of the water,” he said. All three children were taken to a local hospital for evaluation and observation, Alvarado Fire Chief John Rodgers said in a news release. No life-threatening injuries have been reported.

The family later thanked him for the rescue, Horne said. Horne, who has worked at the Midlothian Fire Department for 10 years, said he’s grateful he happened to be at the lake and prevent a family from losing their children.  “I wasn’t trying to be a hero,” Horne said. “I wasn’t trying to do anything except help those people, and it worked out in our favor. The stars lined up. I was at the right place at the right time, and I was able to make a difference.”

Source: Off-duty North Texas firefighter saves 3 children trapped under boat on Fourth of July

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
Romans 12:2

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Chicago teens learning firefighting skills at “Camp Courage”

Group of Chicago firefighters holding and spraying water from a hose during training with city buildings in background

Teens from across Chicago on Monday were learning firsthand what it takes to be a firefighter. The Chicago Fire Department is hosting “Camp Courage” at the Engine Company No. 121 firehouse in the Beverly neighborhood. The first day of camp on Monday focuses on firefighting skills. Teens learned how to quickly put on a firefighter’s protective bunker gear. On Tuesday, the teens will participate in emergency medical services training. The campers graduate on Wednesday. In addition to teaching teens about firefighting, organizers said the camp aims to teach them leadership and team-building skills.

Source: Chicago teens learning firefighting skills at “Camp Courage” – CBS Chicago

But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved).
Ephesians 2:4-5

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