Rep. Kevin Kiley honors Folsom firefighters for dog rescue, recaps visit to storm-hit areas
Who let the dog out? That would be the Folsom Fire Department.
U.S. Rep. Kevin Kiley, R-Rocklin, visited the department’s Station 35 on Friday to award certificates of congressional recognition to firefighters who went “above and beyond the call of duty” after saving the life of a local dog, according to a news release from Kiley’s office.
Kiley formally recognized fire Capt. Lukas Carter, Jared Ralph and engineer Alex Karp for rescuing and providing immediate care to a dog that was limp, lethargic and suffered burns, according to a city news post.
He also awarded the congressional honor to Julia Romanelli, a Girl Scout in 10th grade, who donated approximately 10 pet oxygen masks to the department in late 2020 as part of her “silver award” project that aims to make a lasting difference after the project is over.
“I learned that fire departments aren’t allowed to use tax dollars to buy equipment that isn’t aimed at saving human lives,” Romanelli said. “The only way they can get these masks is through donations.”
Ralph is the firefighter who pulled the 14-year-old dog, whose name is coincidentally “Ralph,” out of the burning building that caused no human injuries and the origin of which is still under investigation. Karp resuscitated the dog, according to Kiley.
Fire Chief Ken Cusano said the dog was taken by a neighbor to an emergency veterinarian hospital in Loomis. The dog’s owner was not on scene, according to the city’s news release. The dog is expected to survive.
“I’m used to our guys going out and doing their job every day,” Cusano said. “Internally, the chief officers, we definitely recognize our men and women. But, to have that come from a U.S. Congressman, it’s definitely really special and it’s nice to hear. We’re looking forward to him in that seat in Congress and all the good things that he’ll be able to do.”
Cusano said he has been involved with the department for 25 years, and it or its members had not received congressional recognition during that time.
Kiley assesses storm damage
On Friday, Jan. 13, Kiley visited Station 35 for a planned tour of the city by Assistant Chief Chad Wilson to see the damage that the storms that began on Dec. 31 caused in the community.
Kiley said he saw trees knocked down, closed roads, and flooding and areas at risk for it. Upon witnessing the damage, he said he urged Gov. Gavin Newsom and President Joe Biden to declare a major disaster declaration, which would make Folsom residents eligible for federal assistance, according to Kiley.
“I am appreciative that the president did accept the request that I made to provide that relief, and we’re now reaching out to residents in Folsom, Fair Oaks and Orangevale to connect them with the relief that they’re entitled to,” Kiley said.
Kiley said he visited areas all over his district since recently returning from Washington, D.C. One of the places he said he saw was the U.S. Forest Service road that leads to the Oxbow Reservoir outside Forest Hill.
“(The road) is now on the verge of being unusable because of the erosion that has occurred due to the one-two sort of punch of the mosquito fire followed by the flooding of the mudslides,” Kiley said.
When asked if he would earmark money in the budget for storm relief, Kiley said he “would not rule anything out.”
“What you call a particular form of relief is really a matter of semantics,” he said. “Right now, the priority is ensuring that they get access to the resources that they’re entitled to with a major disaster declaration, and if there’s a need for further steps, then I’m ready to do everything in my power to get folks the help that they need.”
This story was originally published January 21, 2023 at 4:50 PM.