Florida Hospital Fish Memorial Donates Stuffed Dalmatians to Fire Departments

Nov. 16, 2011 - PRLog -- ORANGE CITY – On Tuesday, November 15, Florida Hospital Fish Memorial donated 480 stuffed Dalmatian dogs to the Orange City and Deltona Fire Departments for the Recovery Rascal program. The annual program provides donated stuffed animals to the two local fire departments, so they can give them to children at accident scenes throughout the year.

“The stuffed animals have a positive impact on the children. They bring comfort and security to them,” said David Faer, Deltona Fire Department Assistant Chief Communications, Public Education and Information.

This is the first year Florida Hospital Fish Memorial has given Dalmatian dogs.  Historically, the Orange City hospital has given stuffed teddy bears, but transitioned to the more apropos Dalmatians.

According to Fire Sciences College, Dalmatians were originally trained to be coach dogs and run alongside horse-drawn carriages. This training continued as Dalmatians were further trained to run in front of the fire cart, clear a path, and guide the horses-drawn fire engine toward the fire. Even after horse-drawn fire carriages were phased out by motorized fire engines, Dalmatians have remained in the firehouse as guard dogs and mascots.

This program is another example of Florida Hospital Fish Memorial’s Christian mission. The Orange City hospital is part of the Florida Hospital Volusia/Flagler nonprofit hospital system with a mission to extend the healing ministry of Christ. In 2010, Florida Hospital Volusia/Flagler collectively contributed more than $107 million in benefits to the underprivileged, the community’s overall health and wellness and spiritual needs, and capital improvements.

Photo Caption:
Recovery Rascals (1): The Orange City Fire Department (left) and Deltona Fire Department (right) thanked Florida Hospital Fish Memorial CEO Ed Noseworthy (center) for donating 480 stuffed Dalmatians for the Recovery Rascal Program. Firefighters will give the stuffed animals to children at accident scenes throughout the year.

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Florida Hospital Volusia/Flagler is a nonprofit with a mission to extend the healing ministry of Christ. With five hospitals, Florida Hospital is the largest hospital system in Volusia and Flagler counties, caring for nearly 650,000 patients every year.