HOLLAND, Mich. – A West Michigan man is paying it forward and helping some animals he’s never met by helping police and firefighters save cats and dogs during emergencies.
Michael Finelli made the courteous donation of kits with life saving oxygen masks to the Holland Fire Department as well as the Holland Department of PUblic Safety.
“These kits seemed like an extra tool they could use. You never want them to be used but it’s good knowing if they ever had to they got them," says Michael Finelli who donated the kits.
The fire department received five kits; one for each of its fire trucks. Each kit has masks that will perfectly fit on the snouts of animals so life saving oxygen can be given when time is running out.
“We’ve run multiple incidents where the animals don’t make it and now we have the proper equipment and now we at least have the chance to give them the proper treatment and hopefully resuscitate them,” says Lt. Andy Stokes with the Holland Fire Department.
Finelli and his canine companion, Bailey insisted on also getting special buddy bags for all the K9 units at the Holland Department of Public Safety. The kits include things like bandages and tourniquets to use if the animals are ever injured on the job.
“Depending on what we go to our partners can easily get injured just like we can and with these kits we’ve got something now that’s made for them, and we can provide immediate assistance and immediate aid that could maybe help save their lives,” says Officer Joel Reimink with the Holland Department of Public Safety.
Finelli bought the bags from K9 Defender and says his good deed is already working on others. A friend of his on the East side of the state heard about what he did and bought animal kits for their departments as well.
