When a home fire breaks out, the safety of family members, including pets, becomes the top priority. A reunion with a beloved cat, dog, or other pet after such a devastating event can mean everything. Now, a new device called Rescue Retriever is set to make these reunions happen more often.
This innovative idea comes from an Arizona firefighter who realized that something had to be done to save pets during house fires. Shockingly, over 40,000 pets die in residential fires each year, primarily due to smoke inhalation. More than 500,000 pets are affected annually, but the actual numbers could be much higher as they are often underreported.
“I made this because I got mad one day. I couldn’t rescue a dog fast enough,” said Captain Ryan Tussing from the Avondale, AZ Fire Department.
Rescue Retriever Light-Up Paw Alarm
Rescue Retriever is a device similar to a smoke alarm, but instead of making noise, it lights up with bright paw-shaped lights. This visual cue is crucial for search and rescue operations in the critical seconds following a house fire. The device doesn’t make noise like a traditional smoke alarm; instead, it flashes brightly, alerting anyone nearby of a pet’s presence. A sticker outside the home also informs rescuers about the pets and the device inside.
Alerting Firefighters About Pets Hiding Inside
As Ryan explained, firefighters often don’t know if a pet is inside a burning home. In the chaos of a fire, homeowners may not be able to communicate the presence of pets to firefighters.
That’s why Captain Ryan Tussing and his twin brother Rusty developed Rescue Retriever. The device lights up a dark home with a beacon that sends the message, “Look here!”
![The device lights up a dark home.]
Pets Can’t Rescue Themselves
The original reason Ryan created the device is heartbreaking. After battling fires, he often had to deliver the devastating news to homeowners that their pets hadn’t survived.
“I have had to give the heartbreaking news that a family pet didn’t survive a house fire far too many times. We do our best as firefighters to rescue your pets, but most times, we don’t even know they are there. I created this product to change that,” wrote Ryan.
If he had a way to find pets in those crucial minutes, many could have been saved from smoke inhalation. Every second counts, which is why pet oxygen masks are also vital for pets after a fire.
Rusty, an entrepreneur, realized that pets have no protection against fires.
“We need a smoke detector to help us search for pets. Because right now, every pet in America doesn’t have protection from fire,” Rusty said.
Just like human smoke alarms, placing the device in the right location is key—low to the ground where there is less smoke and where first responders are likely to see the device as they move beneath the smoke.
“Placement is key: wherever your pet finds places to hide,” says Ryan, who compared it to leaving “a trail of breadcrumbs” to find a scared pet.
Some have even suggested training pets to sit beside the strobe light to further assist in the event of a fire. For pets kept in crates when their owners aren’t home, placing the device on the outside of the crate or nearby could be life-saving. For cats, who often hide, placing the device in their favorite hiding spots could make all the difference. Having the device in the home is like a beacon saying, “Please look for my pets!”
Stay Connected with Rescue Retriever
You can learn more about Rescue Retriever on their website, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.
Video via Vimeo, Your Life Arizona:
