OCFA Firefighters Prove No Call Is Too Small, Rescue Orphan Kittens This Week

OCFA FIREFIGHTERS PROVE NO CALL IS TOO SMALL AFTER RESCUING TWO ORPHANED, UNWEANED KITTENS FROM RUNNING CAR ENGINE THIS WEEK

August 19, 2017| By Staff Correspondent
(WESTMINSTER) – The humane rescue of two three-week old orphaned, un-weaned gray kittens Wednesday morning by Orange County Fire Authority firefighter paramedics from under a sealed engine compartment of a freshly-washed Audi sedan at the Brookhurst Car Wash is proof that firefighters save all lives—and as a society, we thank them and are truly indebted to them for this. The response and rescue of these kittens shows the value OCFA firefighters place on life itself. As citizens of Orange County that are diligently served by OCFA, we can extrapolate from this incident alone, from the care, concern and love these firefighters showed to un-weaned kittens – that the care, concern and love they show to human life is that much more.

“No call is too small,” wrote the OCFA firefighters who saved the two kittens, one “male” and one “female”, weighing on average just 10 ounces each. The OCFA firefighters that rescued the kittens went a step further that day and brought the nearly newborn felines back to the fire station to ensure they were well-cared for. While these firefighters attended to normal calls throughout the night – OCFA gets roughly 400 calls a day, these firefighters took turns bottle-feeding the two kittens around the clock with specialized formula they researched and purchased.

OCFA FIREFIGHTERS IN THE BUSINESS OF SAVING ALL LIVES

“Anytime a firefighter can save a life, no matter if it is a human or an animal, it brings all of us a tremendous amount of joy,” said OCFA Captain PIO Steve Concialdi. “That’s why we join the fire service – to help others in need. Animals included.”

Earlier that morning at approximately 10:30 a.m., the outcome for the two kittens hung in peril in the 14500 block of Brookhurst after they were discovered by carwash employees following the Audi’s completed paid-for run through the carwash – a routine occurrence that happens daily in Orange County. You finally concede that your car needs a bath. You find a carwash. Select your package, air freshener and pay the cashier. But while the owner of this car waited for their car to run through the car wash – when it came to the end of the cycle, employees heard cries from a “cat” under the hood.

Shocked and unable to reach the “cat” themselves, a carwash employee noticed the nearby bright red OCFA fire engine in a strip mall within eyesight and asked for help.

The OCFA firefighters training nearby that were contacted by the carwash employee were already in traditional firefighter “turnout gear” of yellow trousers, jackets and boots -- also known as “Personal Protective Equipment.” This turnout gear is an essential component of a firefighter’s safety system and enables a person to survive under conditions that might otherwise result in death or serious injury, according to firefighter.jbpub.com.

Ultimately, two OCFA teams (an engine company and a truck company totaling eight firefighter paramedics) responded swiftly to the carwash scene hanging in limbo. A crowd of 12 to 18 people (carwash employees and carwash patrons) gathered around the scene in hopes of a successful rescue.

An engine company designates the firefighter paramedics that arrive first to any incident (fire, traffic collision, medical emergency, etc.) and drive a fire engine apparatus that pumps water. A truck company consists of firefighters that perform specialized functions on an incident and drive a larger, more specialized fire truck apparatus that contains all the tools firefighters need – including the “jaws of life”, and in this situation, specialized extrication equipment and saws to be able to get one of the two kittens wedged into the engine compartment out safely. The truck also carries a hundred foot aerial ladder.

Statement from OCFA Firefighter Paramedics who rescued kittens from Brookhurst Car Wash:

“Once we knew that the kittens were definitely stuck, we were all excited to help out. We tried for a bit to get the second one out from the top of the engine compartment but couldn’t even see it. We could hear it crying and knew it was scared. Once the truck company lifted the vehicle, we were able to access the second kitten pretty quickly. It was fun knowing that we helped a little life out. It was satisfying to finally grab him and pull him out of the engine. It’s always fun for everybody when calls have happy endings like this. This is why we do this job, so it felt good knowing that we helped. We had to learn how to feed them and keep them warm throughout the night at the station. All the firefighters took turns throughout the night and helped out. It’s always an adventure at work and we never know what we’re going to be asked to do next.”

According to those at the scene, most of the bystanders remained until the end of the 40 minute rescue. All witnessing the scene -- with precious seconds counting down and trepidation in the air as to the well-being of the second kitten lodged well within the vehicles engine compartment, were elated when firefighters removed the second kitten by the palm of a hand and cleared the incident successfully.

“We are in the business to rescue,” said Concialdi. “We don’t want anyone to die. When we are called on for help, that’s exactly what we do. Had the crews not responded – the kitten stuck under the engine compartment could have eventually died if the car kept driving.”

Firefighters see things through to the end though.

OCFA FIREFIGHTERS TO ADOPT ORPHANED KITTENS THEY RESCUED THIS WEEK FROM ENGINE COMPARTMENT IN WESTMINSTER

An OCFA fire captain made the decision to bring the two kittens back to the fire station after the carwash and the Audi owner declined to take the kittens on. The fire captain phoned a veterinarian assistant friend and quickly learned how the firefighters could help nurse the kittens back to health while they figured out who could take them on – as pets, and not have to place them in an overcrowded animal shelter.

The two kittens grew on OCFA as a whole overnight, and it’s been decided that OCFA firefighters will adopt them.

While they don’t have “official names” yet – they bear the last name of all those OCFA firefighters who rescued them that day.

WARMTH – FEEDING- HYGIENE (DURING COLD WINTER MONTHS, CHECK CAR ENGINE FOR CATS, KTITENS LOOKING FOR WARMTH)

Websites dedicated to the care of orphaned, un-weaned kittens say the first weeks should be dedicated to providing the kittens warmth, regular feedings and good hygiene. Experts also warn the public who park cars outside overnight to check for cats or kittens under the engine hood during the cooler months. Many times cats/kittens seek out warmth that car engines falsely advertise to them. Banging on the car hood or slamming a car door – creating some kind of noise, ensures you don’t find a surprise stow-away miles later.

OC ANIMAL CARE IN ORANGE COUNTY

The adoption of shelter animals is a cause at the forefront of many local Orange County politicians. Without help from the public, our shelters become overcrowded. Follow http://www.ocpetinfo.com/about... for all the latest information and learn how to become a volunteer, or promote shelter animals for adoption in your City.

According to www.ocpetinfo.com:

OC Animal Care is an open-admission animal shelter. As such, we took in more than 30,000 dogs, cats, bunnies and other pets last year. Some may be ill or injured. Others may have behavioral issues or be aggressive. We receive pets from people who can no longer care for them, and pets that are no longer wanted. We receive many perfectly healthy dogs and cats that just need a new home.

We believe it is not the animal’s fault for being at the shelter. We want every healthy, treatable and manageable animal to get a second chance at love. We are doing that in a variety of ways.

OC Animal Care strives to save the lives of all healthy, treatable and manageable dogs and cats in our community. To reach that goal, we host monthly adoption events and promote our animals online. In addition, we work very closely with our nonprofit rescue adoption partners, other local animal shelters and our volunteer foster caretakers. We are also fortunate to have the support of Noble Friends Foundation for OC Animal Care who fundraises on our behalf.

OC Animal Care has joined Shelter Animals Count: The National Database, a nationwide effort, comprised of animal welfare professionals from across the county to provide monthly quarterly and yearly data for our shelter. Our 2015 statistics were calculated using this new tool and our 2016 statistics were reported on a monthly basis to the Shelter Animals Count database. Visit http://shelteranimalscount.org... for more information on this nationwide initiative.

In 2004, animal welfare leaders and organizations gathered to find common ground in the animal welfare field. The initial result was Asilomar Accords which sought common definitions and a standard method of reporting shelter statistics on a local level. This helped open a dialogue about how to understand the challenges of animals entering and leaving animal shelters and the need to seek collaborative solutions nationwide. From this conversation evolved the national reporting database, Shelter Animals Count, for which Asilomar, ASPCA, UC Davis, HSUS and others have agreed are the minimum data points that should be gathered by each organization.

OC Animal Care reports our statistics on our website because we feel that transparency is an important part of being a public agency. In addition, we want our communities to understand the realities that we face as a shelter and the impact that our citizens can have on increasing adoptions and decreasing euthanasia. OC Animal Care is an "open admission" shelter for 14 cities and the unincorporated areas of Orange County. "Open admission" means that we will accept all animals from the cities that we serve whether they are aggressive, feral, sick, underage or injured.

OC Animal Care's priority is to deliver top-notch and progressive services to our communities and animals. Although we have accomplished a great deal in recent years, we continue to strive to enhance our programs and services. There is still a tremendous amount of work for us to do for the animals and we cannot do it alone. We rely heavily on our adoption partners, foster caretakers and volunteers. In addition, we rely on you, the community to help us achieve our goals. OC Animal Care encourages you to spay/neuter your pets, purchase a license, provide a forever home and come to the shelter to adopt.

OC Animal Care
561 The City Drive South
Orange, CA. 92868
714-935-6848 OR 949-249-5160

Shelter Hours
Open Daily - 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM
Wednesday (Extended Hours) - 11:00 AM to 7:00 PM

Visiting Hours (for "Available" pets)
Open Daily - 11:00 AM to 4:30 PM
Wednesday (Extended Hours) - 11:00 AM to 6:30 PM

For more information on OCFA, and to learn about the many programs they offer Orange County Cities, go to:
http://www.ocfa.org/