New puppy boosts morale, lowers stress among Birmingport first responders

Yahoo

2 days ago

BIRMINGPORT, Ala. (WIAT) — The Birmingport Fire Department said cardiac arrest is the number one killer of firefighters.
Firefighters said stress on the mind and body is a big contributor to deadly cardiac events. To help lower this stress among first responders, the Birmingport Fire Department has brought a new member on board.
'It's hard to imagine him not being around, and it's only been a few months that I've had him,' Birmingport Fire Chief Wade Holley said.
Epi, short for Epinephrin, is a 6-month-old Boston Terrier who has already brought lots of smiles to Birmingport's firefighters. Holley adopted Epi, and he's quickly become the emotional support dog of the fire station.
'He's really become a tool for stress relief in the department,' Holley said. 'You have a bad call, you're having a bad day, all you have to do is come to the station and sit down on the recliner, and Epi's going to curl up next to you and lick you to death, and that just makes your day go better.'
Birmingport firefighters said their days have gotten better with Epi around.
'Morale has changed dramatically over the last couple of months,' said Birmingport firefighter Ryan Ross. 'This is a small area, small community, but our department seems to be growing and progressing in a positive direction.'
'We've actually had an increase of volunteers coming and hanging out at the station not because of me,' Holley said. 'It's because of Epi. They want to come hang out with Epi and when we get a call, we have more people here at the station to respond immediately.'
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Epi might not be the stereotypical fire house dog. But despite being small, he helps in a big way.
'More than 100 years ago, Dalmatians were used in the fire service to keep away animals in the bay when they used horses to pull some of the carriages and things like that,' Ross said. 'This is our Dalmatian. This is our firehouse dog.'
Epi's helping more than just the firefighters. Over the weekend, some kayakers capsized in Valley Creek in west Jefferson County. While the families waited at the department's fire station for their loved ones, Epi was there to comfort the children.
'When they came into the station, that family seemed pretty down, especially with the kids,' Ross said. 'They were kind of confused about what's going on and scared. It's a new environment. It's something new, and of course the dog was here. Bring Epi in, and it's just like that. You can definitely tell how the children seemed to react. They seemed to chill out little bit. They weren't so anxious.'
Because Epi was present for most of the basic emergency medical technician classes this spring, the Birmingport Fire Department considers him an honorary EMT.
'They know when you're sick. They know when you're scared. They know when you're anxious,' Ross said. 'They want to sit in your lap. They're a huge comfort. They can definitely lower your blood pressure and stress. For me, coming by and seeing Epi cheer others up that may be down or have something going on, that makes me feel good.'
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