TOLEDO, OH (Toledo News Now) -
Toledo firefighters aren't
trained to rescue someone from a dog attack, but that didn't stop them from
saving a woman's life last Friday.
Firefighters received a
call Friday afternoon of a person being attacked on Elm Street in north Toledo.
A 4-man team from Engine 7 was only three minutes away, and got to the scene
first.
Toledo police said a pit
bull had turned on its owner, 30-year-old Maria Drake.
"There was a lot of blood
loss, and we had to act somehow," said Lieutenant Ed Zaracki of the Toledo Fire
Department.
The firefighters used one
of their tools, called a "pike pole," to separate the dog from the woman.
"I buried this into that
dog, right in the back, to here," said Brian Schoen of Toledo Fire. "He didn't
move. Another firefighter, Pat, also buried the pike pole into him and he didn't
move…I was surprised by the damage he was causing. He wasn't going to stop."
The dog then went for the
Drake's throat. Three firefighters then moved in at the same time and got the
dog away.
"It is either dog or
patient," Zaracki said. "Everyone here is a dog lover, but sometimes you have
to do that."
The firefighters saved the
woman's life and rushed her to the hospital for treatment.
The dog is being quarantined
for 10 days to determine if he is rabid, and will likely by euthanized. There has
been no word on Drake's condition.
Lucas County Dog Warden
Julie Lyle said people can prevent dog attacks by reading their body language.
"We tell people to be a
tree," Lyle said. "Stand upright, don't be flailing around. Don't be a lot of
movement. Standing still and avoiding eye contact with the dog."
And anyone who sees
someone being attacked should call 911 immediately.
Copyright 2013 Toledo News
Now. All rights reserved.
Drake's pit bull is currently quarantined at the Lucas County Dog Warden.
