On Feb. 20, the Athens-Clarke County Fire and Emergency Services Department received a call concerning a child who was bitten by a dog. As crews were leaving to respond, they were met by the child’s mother at the front of Fire Station 7 on Barnett Shoals Road. The mother told firefighters that the child was inside her vehicle and had just suffered a severe dog bite to her forehead.
Firefighters acted quickly and began treating her wounds inside the apparatus bay of the station. The child's injuries were treated and bleeding was brought under control. She was then cleaned up and bandaged at the station. National EMS transported the girl to the hospital where her injuries were treated with more comprehensive care.
”We are glad the child has made a remarkable recovery and her mother wanted to express her gratitude to our firefighters for not only treating her daughter's injuries but going above and beyond to clean their vehicle that had to be left at the station while the child was in the hospital,” ACCFESD said in a statement. “On top of that, one of our firefighters even dropped a gift off at the family's home after he got off shift the next day because he was so touched by the girl's experience and was genuinely concerned about her recovery. “The positive impact that the firefighters had on this family was profound and the mother continues to express her deep gratitude,”the statement read. “She really wanted us to share her experience. She has brought her daughter to our stations for a reunion with the firefighters that helped her. Our firefighters were very glad to see her again under much better circumstances.
”We are just glad circumstances allowed us to help and that with the caliber of our firefighters, we know that anyone at any time in our community that calls on us for help will receive the best care possible.“