Fire Departments Join Forces to Rescue a Dog Who Fell Down a 40-Foot Well

Firefighters are always looking out for their communities, helping those in need — whether they be human or animal.

Sometimes pets get themselves stuck in some dangerous places and need emergency services to come to the rescue. Recently, one incident required two local fire departments to join forces and use a little ingenuity to save a dog’s life.

On September 20, the Prairietown Fire Department, in Illinois, received a call about a dog named Rico, who fell down a 40-foot well in a neighbor’s yard. The firefighters were all concerned for the dog’s safety, and “feared the worst,” they wrote on Facebook.

Arriving on the scene, the Prairietown officers realized they couldn’t do it alone, and contacted the nearby Edwardsville Fire Department for reinforcements.

The Edwardsville firefighters were able to provide their confined space/technical rescue team, who “used specialized training to go down the well,” the Prairietown Fire Department wrote.

According to the Belleville News-Democrat, the firefighters put together a pulley system with a tripod. One firefighter was lowered down to retrieve Rico.

Soon, the firefighter returned with Rico, who was thankfully unharmed by the ordeal.

“Rico is doing well and was happy to see everyone once he was freed!” Prairietown Fire Department wrote on Facebook.

They also thanked their fellow firefighters Edwardsville for lending crucial support: “This would have been a different story without you.”

The successful rescue was a special moment for the firefighters. They said it was “one of those calls that reminds us why we do this,” saying they gladly dropped everything for the late-night rescue.

“Why when the pager goes off during dinner, bedtime stories with our kids, or family events we go running out the door,” Prairietown Fire Department wrote.