Red Paw’s fire kitten Honey
Today, the Red Paw Emergency Relief Team – an emergency services, nonprofit organization that works in conjunction with the American Red Cross, Southeastern Pennsylvania Chapter, and other organizations to provide emergency assistance including emergency transport, shelter, and veterinary care to animals involved in fires and other residential disasters – is at the Whole Foods in Glen Mills from 2 – 6 p.m. offering customers fire safety information, free giveaways and adoptable kittens.
The mission of Red Paw is to assist displaced pets and their people 24/7, free of charge and to ensure that all family members are taken care of during a disaster in their home. The organization has been a work in progress for many years and a direct result of founder Jennifer Leary’s – Philadelphia Fire Fighter and Red Cross Emergency Responder – experiences on the fire ground. Time and time again, pets have been left with no organization to provide emergency assistance or care in the event of a fire.
Two specific incidents sparked Red Paw’s birth. A few years ago, a two alarm fire in Center City resulted in the death of two dogs and a cat because there was not a procedure in place to help them. Responding with the Red Cross, Leary was there and saw the owners carrying the dogs in their arms screaming for help, but no one was there to help them. Leary then used her personal vehicle to rush them to Penn Veterinary Hospital (while the owners were giving them oxygen with equipment borrowed from a medic unit) where they later died.
The second incident occurred in January 2011 at a three alarm fire at an apartment complex in West Philly. Cats were being taken out of the building in laundry baskets and rushed to the shelter without crates or emergency vet care. Dozens of cats were trapped in the building for weeks afterwards.
Shortly after that fire, Leary brought her proposal for the organization to the American Red Cross — to work in conjunction with their responders when there are pets on scene. Eight months later Red Paw was born. In 2013 Red Paw was added to the City of Philadelphia’s Emergency Response Plan.
The humans have the fire department and the Red Cross to provide emergency assistance and now their pets have Red Paw. For more information on Red Paw, click here.
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