Response dog helps ease stess

April 17, 2020

One person was killed in a house fire in Boiling Spring Lakes earlier this week. The house was engulfed in flames in a matter of minutes, and there was little firefighters could do.

The call came in around 4 a.m., and before all was said and done, crews from Boiling Spring Lakes, Southport and Sunny Point, were all on scene. Three people were inside at the time the fire started. Two were able to escape with minor injuries, but the third lost their life.

“We were told three had to bust a window to get out,” said Assistant Chief Nathan McConnell. “But when there turned around, one person wasn’t there.”

“It was very stressful there, to help gather and take that body out,” said firefighter Brad Blumeshine. “It was a hard day. I’m glad Ember’s here.”

Ember isn’t the department’s mascot, but a crisis response dog provided by paws4people, an area non-profit that trains dogs and places them around the country.

There are currently 100 dogs going through a two year certification program.

“Ember went straight up to one of the gentlemen who was crying,” McConnell explained. “He was able to pet her, bring his stress level, and maybe his blood pressure, down. And then she licked away his tears.”

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