Oklahoma City firefighters go above and beyond to rescue dog from icy waters

Being an Oklahoma City firefighter is a calling, one that they don’t take lightly, no matter who they are called to rescue.

“We treat every rescue as a priority. We approach each one the same way,” said Battalion Chief David Mayers with the Oklahoma City Fire Department.

Even when the call is for man’s best friend.

“The dog ran out chasing geese, fell through the ice. He was far enough offshore that we couldn’t safely get to him without a boat,” said Meyers.

 Without a second thought, even with temperatures in the teens, firefighters hit the water.

“Our dive rescue they have a lot of equipment, a lot of specialized training, especially for these icy conditions.

For firefighters, the effort is the same, whether it’s a small child or a small dog.

“In this case, the victim was a K9, but we did what we always do,” said Meyers. 

The dog had been in the water for about 15 minutes prior to the firefighter’s arrival,

“Get him out of the cold environment into the warm that’s always a key measure. We had blankets on the scene, so we could immediately wrap him up,” said Meyers.

The cold temperatures put the odds against them, but that didn’t matter to these firefighters still cold and wet from the rescue.

“We did full resuscitation measures, just like we would do for any victim we encountered,” said Meyers.

Under the watchful and concerned eye of the owner, firefighters fought.

“Their pets are their family and that’s what we are here to do, we’re here to serve the citizens and protect their family as best we can,” said Meyers. 

And though it was obvious the attention given, for firefighters it was just what they do.

“We go all the way every time,” said Meyers.