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Prince William firefighters get oxygen masks for pets

WASHINGTON – If you get pulled out of a fire and have trouble breathing, rescuers will fit you with an oxygen mask. But what about your pets?

In Prince William County, they’re covered.

The Prince William County Fire and Rescue Department announced Monday that firefighters are getting oxygen masks specially made for dogs and cats.

The WAG’N 02 FUR LIFE masks will help firefighters revive pets who have suffered smoke inhalation or carbon monoxide poisoning, which “overwhelms many of the animals that often die en route to a veterinarian,” the department said in a statement.

The masks, which cost about $3,000 apiece, were donated by the Prince William County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

The department said that about 1,700 fire departments nationwide already have the apparatus, including 24 in Virginia.

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