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Fire house that banned pets changes its own rule after friendly stray cat called Bernice decided to move in

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Cite

Tardugno, A. (2026, October 21). Fire house that banned pets changes its own rule after friendly stray cat called Bernice decided to move in. Daily Mail. https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-16226663/Fire-house-banned-pets-changes-rule-friendly-stray-cat.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490

Dated from the outlet's own feed. Check the original for its byline.

Daily Mail · collected 2026-10-21 · by Adriana Tardugno

Quick Summary

A Kansas fire station that previously banned pets has made an exception to welcome a friendly stray cat named Bernice, who moved in by jumping through an open window about two years ago. The Wichita Fire Department Station 5 now takes turns caring for and feeding the cat, who is considered part of their team despite no official pet policy change until recently. According to the Wichita Police and Fire Foundation (WPFF), Bernice helps keep pests away and occasionally travels with firefighters on calls; community members have shown support for the station’s decision through social media.
Written by AI on 2026-10-21, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

Wichita Fire Department Station 5 in Kansas has changed its policy to allow pets after a friendly stray cat named Bernice moved in. Initially banned from the station, Bernice started appearing regularly and eventually made herself at home by jumping through an open window into the boiler room. Lieutenant Justin Klein told KSNW that firefighters were initially surprised but soon welcomed her. Firefighter Alex Schutz explained that Bernice's presence serves as a reminder of their late colleague Ty Voth, who passed away two years ago, calling Bernice a "good reminder" of him. The cat has been living at the station for up to two years and is cared for by all shifts. According to the Wichita Police and Fire Foundation (WPFF), her exact age remains unknown.

Written for “Fire House Rules Change For Cat” on 2026-11-03, grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Fire House Rules Change For Cat
Other · 1 article(s) covering the same event.

Compared with similar articles

Nothing to compare against. No article is close enough to this one for the pipeline to have linked or judged the pair.
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
29
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
7%
2 of 29 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
69/100
Daily Mail's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
1
Other
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-10-21 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

Daily Mail · 9052 article(s) · 22 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 22 correction(s)

Who wrote this

Adriana Tardugno
58 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
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Also by Adriana Tardugno
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 58 articles by Adriana Tardugno →

Topics

KSNW WFD WPFF Wichita the Wichita Police and Fire Foundation

Subjects

Bernice PERSON · 16× WPFF ORG · 7× KSNW ORG · 3× Schutz PERSON · 3× WFD ORG · 3× Alex Schutz PERSON · 2× Kitty PERSON · 2× Wichita GPE · 2× Wichita Station 5 Fire Department ORG · 2× the Wichita Police and Fire Foundation ORG · 2×

Narrative

Firefighter Alex Schutz told KSNW that Bernice served as a reminder of their late WFD firefighter Ty Voth (pictured) who passed two years ago Firefighter Schutz explained Bernice was a 'good reminder of him' as she started visiting a few months after the loss of their 'fallen brother,' firefighter Voth '
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-21
🔮 So, we were wondering how this cat would get in the station.

Claims (29 extracted, 2 hedged)

A Kansas fire house that once banned pets has changed its rule to welcome a friendly stray cat named 'Bernice.' asserted
that → ban → cat
'We're not allowed pets. asserted
We → allow → pets
So, we were wondering how this cat would get in the station. asserted
cat → wonder → station
We finally saw it one night. asserted
We → see → it
Somebody was up and saw that cat jump through that window to the boiler room, which is always open just to help circulate air,' Lieutenant Justin Klein told KSNW. asserted
Klein → see → KSNW
According to the Wichita Police and Fire Foundation (WPFF), Bernice has been living in the fire house since she was young, but her exact age is unknown. uncertain
age → accord → house
Firefighter Alex Schutz explained to the outlet the origin story of how Bernice received her name and became a 'special' daily visitor. asserted
Bernice → explain → name
'We were just sitting there thinking, like, what should we name her. asserted
we → sit → her
And [WFD Firefighter] Quinn was like, "I like Bernice." asserted
I → like → Bernice
And we were like, "Yeah, that works, we'll stick with that." asserted
we → work → that
The outlet reported that all the fire house members take turns providing food and care for their feline friend each shift. asserted
members → report → friend
Each shift it seems like they all have a different name for it. asserted
they → seem → it
We call it Kitty because we didn't know what the name of it was. asserted
name → call → it
So every single time we come in, it's like, "Hey Kitty. asserted
it → come → ?
What's up?",' Captain Lyndell Lara, who oversees the C-Shift, told the outlet. asserted
who → oversee → outlet
Wichita Station 5 Fire Department has been home to Bernice, a beloved stray cat, for up to two years despite their previous rules against pets in the station According to the Wichita Police and Fire Foundation (WPFF), Bernice has been living in the fire house since she was young, but her exact age is unknown uncertain
age → accord → house
The WPFF has since created an 'exclusive' profile on social media honoring their first ever animal, 'Firecat Bernice.' asserted
WPFF → create → animal
'Bernice lives at the station but is free to come and go as she pleases. asserted
she → live → station
Bernice can't exactly carry a firehose but she contributes by keeping the station pest free,' the WPFF wrote in a Facebook statement. asserted
WPFF → carry → statement
Wichita Firefighters told the WPFF that Bernice often caught mice, lizards and even a flying bat to help protect her fire house. asserted
Bernice → tell → house
'Always wanting to help, firefighters say Bernice has actually been on some actual calls as she has been found as a stowaway on the firetruck when everyone returns to the station,' the WPFF wrote. asserted
WPFF → want → station
Firefighter Schutz told KSNW that Bernice served as a reminder of their late WFD firefighter Ty Voth who passed two years ago. asserted
who → tell → firefighter
He explained the cat started visiting a few months after the loss of a 'fallen brother. asserted
cat → explain → brother
When she got here, I feel like not a lot of us were cat people before Bernice. asserted
lot → get → Bernice
She's definitely changed that for most of us I think,' Schutz told the outlet. asserted
Schutz → change → outlet
Members of the Wichita community have shared their appreciation and support for Bernice on social media. asserted
Members → share → media
Firefighter Alex Schutz told KSNW that Bernice served as a reminder of their late WFD firefighter Ty Voth (pictured) who passed two years ago Firefighter Schutz explained Bernice was a 'good reminder of him' as she started visiting a few months after the loss of their 'fallen brother,' firefighter Voth ' asserted
she → tell → brother
Thank you for taking her in as one of the crew,' one user wrote. asserted
user → thank → crew
The Daily Mail has reached out to Wichita Station 5 Fire Department and the WPFF for comment. asserted
Mail → reach → comment
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