New Ohio laws allow breaking into cars to save kids and pets; first responders to treat pets

Bills that allow people to break into vehicles to save children and animals have been signed into law by Gov. John Kasich and a third will likely become law. The first law protects people from civil liability and damages. Protection from civil liability would only apply if the person also calls the police or 9-1-1 and believes leaving the child or animal in the vehicle would lead to injury or death.  The law's supporters said it would reduce the number of heatstroke-related deaths among children by allowing good Samaritans to act without hesitation. On a 78- degree day, the inside of a parked car can reach 100 or more degrees in minutes. The second law allows paramedics, EMTs and firefighters to provide aid to dogs and cats when responding to a human emergency. First responders could open and maintain an airway, give mouth to snout ventilation, administer oxygen, control hemorrhage, stabilize fractures, bandage wounds and administer naloxone hydrochloride, also known as Narcan. Goddard's Law, which increases the penalties for intentionally harming or killing a pet, was passed overwhelmingly in the House and Senate but has yet to be sent to Kasich's desk.