Animal lovers  from throughout the area showed up to give support for a fundraiser headed by Deb Morris a few weeks ago.
    Morris, a Cresco resident, organized the one-day fundraiser with the goal of raising enough money to purchase a set of animal oxygen masks for the Cresco Fire Department.
    She sat outside of Fareway for four hours on Memorial Day weekend and was surprised by the amount of money she raised and the support people showed for the cause.
    “There’s definitely some interest out there and some animal lovers,” Morris said.
    She raised a little over $700 – enough to purchase 13 sets of animal masks.
    “I was really happy. I just wanted to get the one set and I ended up with 13,” Morris said.
    Morris donated two sets of masks to each fire department in Howard County. She has one left over, which she plans to use as a visual aid when teaching other fire departments throughout the state about the benefits of the masks.
    “We’re appreciative of the donation,” said Cresco Fire Chief  Neal Stapelkamp. “Human life is still our priority and property preservation is still our priority. If we can save somebody’s Fluffy, that’s a lot of good will.
    Morris, an animal lover ever since she was a kid, lost her cat to a house fire when she was 9 years old. After reading an article this spring about another local family who lost pets to a house fire, Morris decided she wanted to do something that could help prevent that from happening in the future.
    The cone-shaped plastic oxygen masks come in three sizes and fit cats, dogs, guinea pigs, rabbits, ferrets, birds and certain farm animals, like sheep. Oxygen masks designed for people don’t securely fit most animals. The oxygen masks make it easier for firefighters to give oxygen to animals rescued in a fire.
    It is common for indoor pets to hide during a fire, making it difficult for firefighters to rescue them. This also puts them at a high risk for smoke inhalation because of the amount of time they are often trapped in a burning building. The masks can make it easier to resuscitate animals.
    Stapelkamp said the masks are used in the same way as human oxygen masks, so county firefighters will not need to go through any additional training before using them.
    Morris said she plans to begin a statewide project in July or August with the help of Cresco resident Vanette Grover. Morris’ goal is to raise enough money to donate animal oxygen masks for every fire department in Iowa.
    After she launches the statewide project, she hopes to begin a spay and neuter program for stray animals in the county.