BETHEL — Bethel firefighters have rescued a man and his 2-month-old chocolate Labrador retriever after a fire broke out in a Bethel home.
KYUK reports the man suffered smoke inhalation and was flown to Anchorage for treatment.
The puppy is in the hands of a local animal rescue group called the Bethel Friends of Canines. The group is looking for foster care for the puppy while the owner is hospitalized.
Bethel fire chief Bill Howell says the blaze was reported just before 5 a.m. Monday by a passer-by who noticed it.
Howell says the man rescued was initially treated by emergency responders at the scene.
Officials say damage to the two-story home was limited to the first floor.
Curt Isakson is a 35 year veteran of the fire service. Curt is currently a Battalion Chief for Escambia County Fire Rescue. Previously worked 9 years with the Pensacola Fire Department where he was assigned as the Company Officer on Rescue 31. Curt’s fire service experiences started at a young age as a Junior firefighter with the Midway Fire Protection District and rose through the ranks to Captain. He has worked in volunteer, career, and combination departments.
Curt has held all ranks up to Battalion Chief and been assigned to operations, training, inspections, and was Chief of Special Operations for 7 years. Curt owns and operates County Fire Tactics that covers a very diverse range of fire service topics, as well as Firefighter Rescues, a site that documents rescues made by firefighters around the country.
He has annual contracts with numerous departments to provide standardized monthly training for these departments that respond daily together under an automatic aid agreement. Curt teaches nationally to include; FDIC, Firehouse Expo, Firehouse World, Orlando Fire Conference, Atlanta Fire Conference, Bowling Green State University, and owns/operates the annual HROC, COBC, WOTF, CFT ODP on Pensacola Beach. He is a Florida Certified Fire Officer, Instructor, Inspector, Arson, and FLUSAR.
