Nero’s Law Enacted

"We hope it never happens again, but when it does, we'll be ready."

NEW BEDFORD, MA (WLNE) –

A new bill enacted on Monday gives EMS workers the green light to treat and transport K-9 officers injured in emergency situations on the job.

Nero’s Law was filed after K9 Officer Nero was severely injured during on officer-involved shooting in Yarmouth in 2018 that claimed the life of his partner, Sergeant Sean Gannon. Although multiple ambulances and Emergency Medical Personnel were on scene and available to have treated and transported Nero to an emergency veterinary facility, laws prevented first responders from doing so. The K-9 officer had been transported to an emergency veterinary clinic in the back of a police cruiser.

“Nero was wounded-severely wounded-and unable to be transported to a hospital. And the ambulances were there,” says Denise Morency-Gannon, Sgt. Gannon’s mother. “Senator Montigny probably said it best. We hope it never happens again, but when it does, we’ll be ready.”

The new law, filed in Nero’s name by Senator Mark Montigny (D-New Bedford ), authorizes EMS workers to perform emergency lifesaving measures including basic K-9 first aid, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, Naloxone administration, and transportation via ambulance. “If an EMT can give that kind of expertise and transport properly, think about how much more humane it is for the animal,” says Montigny.

The Department of Public Health is set to develop policies and training for medical personnel in each region in the state alongside the Massachusetts Veterinary Medical Association. First responders would also have readily available the nearest emergency veterinary clinics should transport be necessary.

EMS workers would not be held liable in these emergency response situations, and ambulances would need to be sterilized for any allergens following transport.

“The importance of saving a K-9’s life is as important as an officer. He works with him, he’s his partner, he would die for him.”