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New Ohio Law
Ohio Law Allows First Responders to Save Animals’ Lives
Ohio Governor John Kasich has
-
ers to treat an injured dog or cat at the
scene of an emergency. The bill, HB
187, was passed by unanimous votes
in both the House and Senate and was
signed into law on May 31, 2016.
The law, which went into effect
August 31, 2016, came about after
Bob Swickard, the director of an EMS
service in a small town in northeastern
Ohio, contacted state Republican
Rep. Tim Ginter with concerns about
a recent rash of on-duty injuries to
police dogs. In seeking guidance from
Swickard said he found "a missed
loophole" — it was clearly illegal for
EMTs to treat animals. He and Ginter
were especially concerned that paramedics
couldn't administer naloxone
to police dogs that came in contact
with prescription pain pills or heroin.
"There is the possibility that a dog
could get a snout full of something
and go down," Ginter said. The best
that they could do before this law was
to call either a veterinarian to come to
the scene or call for transport." Emergency
personnel standing by would
not have authority to save the canine
would an innocent life be lost, but the
taxpayer dollars used to train and care
for the dog would also be lost.
The new law clarifies that first
responders arriving at scenes of
emergencies to treat humans can
animals before transferring them to a
veterinarian. “The bill simply allows
animals to receive critical care at the
earliest possible moment, which is in
the best interest of the animal. Most
importantly, this bill will protect canine
units and service animals which
may be injured at the scene of a response,”
said Rep. Ginter.
The following procedures are covered
in the bill:
Opening and manually maintaining
an airway
Administering mouth-to-snout or
barrier ventilation
Administering oxygen
Managing mask ventilation
Using direct pressure to control
hemorrhage
Immobilizing fractures
Bandaging
Administering naloxone hydrochloride
(if authorized under
HB 187 also grants immunity from
criminal prosecution, civil damages,
and professional disciplinary action
acting in good faith in the absence of
deliberate misconduct.
What the law doesn't do is require
does it now make it OK for people to
call 911 when their pets get injured or
sick. People should still call emergency
animal hospitals in these situations.
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