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Veterinarian Hero
Small police and fire departments don't always have the biggest budgets, so when Winter Haven veterinarian Dr. Mitsie Vargas found out the city's departments were lacking in certain safety equipment, she stepped in to help out.
Dr. Vargas first helped the Winter Haven Police Department by outfitting its K-9 officers with bulletproof vests. She bought the first one herself with her own money. She then headed up a community fundraiser to buy the three others. They raised more than two thousand dollars, enough to buy the vests, with enough left over for a fund for the K-9's.
Dr. Vargas then set her sights on the city's three fire departments. After seeing firefighters try to revive a cat with a human oxygen mask on the news, she decided to put together care kits for all of them. The kits included canine and feline oxygen masks, special burn ointments, and phermone spray that helps calm animals down. Firefighters say the items have significantly improved the survival chances of the animals they pull from fire scenes.
Dr. Vargas says she's doing all this because Winter Haven is her home and she wants to adopt her town. Her next mission is to try to establish an actual pension fund for Winter Haven's K-9's officers. She says they deserve to be taken care of when they retire, after giving their lives to serve the community.
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