A Monmouth County firefighter and EMT saved the life of a cat trapped in a fire by using new equipment donated to the town.

Ryan Dowens is a paid EMT and volunteer firefighter in Middletown. Dowens responded to a fire last week in town that was only about 100 yards away from the firehouse. He was working as an EMT at the time and was handed two cats that were rescued.

One of the cats was not breathing.

“His firemen gave it to him, him and his partner, Ralph Noriega, went right to work doing what they do best,” says Middletown EMS Director Joe Grabas.

Dowens was also given new lifesaving equipment donated by The Canine Company out of Connecticut.

“It goes inside [the cat’s mouth] and makes a seal, so when the cat tries to inhale and we're compressing, the lungs inflate and all the air goes into the nose and the mouth,” Dowens says. “It's all oxygen coming in."

Dowens says that at first the cat was not moving and was very stiff, so he started CPR.

“Once I started CPR it all of sudden opened its eyes up and started inhaling and I knew, the cat is back. It was pretty awesome,” he says.

Dowens says that this is the first time he ever used that particular piece of equipment.