BREEZY POINT – Contrary to popular belief, the first thing you should not do is call the fire department if your cat is stuck in a tree.
But when Breezy Point’s Mayor Bindi spent an entire day 28 feet atop a tall oak tree on July 11-12, Mayor Angel Zierden had no online help and had no choice.
“I had even called professional tree felling services to see if they had professionals who could climb trees,” Zierden said. “I made a Facebook post myself asking if anyone knew anyone who had climbed trees and the response was, ‘Call your fire department.'”
At that point, Pequot Lakes Fire District chief Mike Schwankl agreed that it didn’t look like the cat was going to come down on its own, so he sent a mini-troop of six people with an extension ladder to find the town’s first cat to salvage.
As the owner’s last hope after a night out, on July 12, 2023, firefighters from the Pequot Lakes Fire District were at a home in Breezy Point to rescue a one-year-old cat from a tree.
Post / Pequot Lakes Fire District
“It was the first time it had been up a tree and not coming down in a few hours,” Schwankl said. “So I kind of gave my typical response to what usually goes up, eventually comes out. It is not normal practice for us to take cats down from a tree. But if for some reason he didn’t come down the next day, I let them know they could call me again. And I would see what we can do given our limitations.”
They laughed afterwards, realizing they probably should have sent another firefighter upstairs.
“We found that the firefighters who climbed the ladder to get the cat had an allergy to cats,” Schwankl said. “He didn’t suffer any discomfort or injury from it, but he kind of came down and said, ‘Here, now you take it.'”
(Schwankl) said they usually come down, so I said, “OK.” It rained that night and the next morning she was still up there. At this point she just couldn’t get down and had climbed higher.
angel ornaments
Realistically, the fire department should be the last point of call for help with a cat in a tree. Having even a small fire crew engaged on a task like rescuing a cat means that in the event of an emergency call, those firefighters will have to climb back down the ladder, pack up the ladder and other equipment they brought with them, and potentially return to the firefighter if they need more equipment , go to the fire station and then make your way to the emergency call.
“Usually when someone is tied to a tree to save a cat and someone else has an emergency, the response is delayed,” Schwankl said. “But on the other hand, it’s residents, and sometimes people don’t have the capacity to fix something like that. And as they get closer to their last hope, let’s see if the fire department can do it.”
“(Schwankl) said they usually come down, so I said, ‘OK’;” Zierden said. “It rained that night and the next morning she was still up there. At that point she just couldn’t come down and had gone higher.”
The Pequot Lakes Fire District firefighter who rescued Bindi the cat from a tree in Breezy Point on July 12, 2023 was ironically allergic to cats, but suffered no ill effects through his heroic efforts.
Post / Pequot Lakes Fire District
This retrieval only lasted about 15 minutes. The value of time is especially important when a department is understaffed, such as in the Pequot Lakes Fire District, which currently has eight open positions. The department is not so small that it cannot fulfill its tasks; However, it can be exhausting for a firefighting crew when there are not enough firefighters available to take turns on long firefighting missions.
“We made it anyway,” said Schwankl. “We have been very fortunate in Pequot where our firefighters live, where our firefighters work and if they can get away from work during the day. The impact so far has just been that they’ve been given a bigger workload because we have to assign fewer people to it. So we need to help spread the workload across the department and not expect too much from the few people we have.”
Zierden said it would be great to spread the word.
“I think sometimes people might not think about volunteering for the fire service, or they might not be aware of the long-term benefits,” she said. “We definitely have people who want to give back to the community. I think this is a great way to do that.”
When someone is tied to a tree and rescues a cat, the response is usually delayed if someone else has an emergency. But on the other hand they are residents and sometimes people don’t have the capacity to fix something like that. And when they get close to their last hope, let’s see if the fire department can pull it off.
Mike Schwankl
In a situation where seconds and minutes count, this pet rescue quest featured in movies and TV may be better suited to other groups. In some cities, local animal shelters may have an appropriate expert who can assist in the rescue. Otherwise paid tree care companies may be available.
In the case of Zierden, she had posted on social media that she needed help putting her cat to sleep, but the answers she got mostly ended in dead ends.
Technically, the fire department should be the last point of contact when it comes to cats in trees; That crew wasn’t upset, however, when they plucked year-old cat Bindi from 28 feet out of an oak tree in Breezy Point on July 12, 2023.
Post / Pequot Lakes Fire District
The animal shelters and arborists she called suggested she call the fire department, which she didn’t really think was the right response, at least not until the cat was stuck for a day. Zierden was just glad the weather was nice.
“She literally sprinted to the house the moment her feet hit the ground,” Zierden said. “It was like she couldn’t get to the house fast enough and was very hungry. It was good that it wasn’t that hot outside.”
Even if such calls are not normal for this or any other fire department, Schwankl and his team found the humor in the situation and still laugh about it. At least six members of his crew can say they actually pulled a cat out of a tree, and that’s pretty rare.
In my 19+ years this is the third time we’ve pulled a cat out of a tree.
Mike Schwankl
“In my 19+ years, this is the third time we’ve pulled a cat out of a tree,” said Schwankl.
The Pequot Lakes Fire District accepts volunteers over the age of 18 with a high school diploma or GED. Applicants must pass a written exam, a physical agility test, and an interview.
Applicants should live within 15 minutes of fire headquarters and be able to respond at unusual times and attend regular monthly meetings. If accepted, the department will provide applicants with all necessary equipment and training free of charge.
Applicants should also comply with the law.
Travis Grimler is a contributor to the weekly Pineandlakes Echo Journal in Pequot Lakes/Pine River. He can be reached at 218-855-5853 or travis.grimler@pineandlakes.com.
www.pineandlakes.com
https://www.pineandlakes.com/news/local/firefighters-rescue-breezy-point-mayors-cat-stuck-in-tree
