Orange City, FL-On Dec. 2, Florida Hospital Fish Memorial donated 1,500 stuffed Dalmatian dogs to the Orange City, DeBary and Deltona Fire Departments for the Recovery Rascal program. This annual program provides donated stuffed animals to the local fire departments, so they can give them to children at accident scenes throughout the year.
This is the sixth year Florida Hospital Fish Memorial has given Dalmatian dogs. Historically, the Orange City hospital gave teddy bears, but transitioned to the more apropos Dalmatians.
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 firehouses as guard dogs and mascots.
This program is another example of Florida Hospital Fish Memorial’s mission to extend the healing ministry of Christ. The Orange City hospital is one of six Florida Hospitals in Volusia and Flagler counties, and in 2015, the hospitals collectively contributed more than $120 million in benefits to the underprivileged, the community’s overall health and wellness and spiritual needs, and capital improvements.
Photo Caption: From left to right: Orange City Fire Department Deputy Chief Sam Pilcher, Orange City Fire Department Lt. Kyle Taylor, Orange City Fire Department Chief Ronnie Long, Orange City Fire Department Lt. David Soria, Florida Hospital Fish Memorial CEO Rob Deininger, Deltona Fire Department Engineer Don Helberg, Florida Hospital Fish Memorial Chief Operating Officer Danielle Johnson, Deltona Fire Department Chief Bill Snyder, and Deltona Fire Department Lt. Brent Drexler. Standing on the trucks: Orange City Firefighter, Brian Burke (left) and Deltona Firefighter Bryon Grube (right).
