A house and two dogs were saved from a fire and officials say it’s all because of a new tool donated to Washington County first responders.

It’s kind of like a grenade that slows down the fire enough for crews to get in and put the fire out.

They’re called FST’s — or Fire Suppression Tools.

Officials say it works by pulling the two pins and throwing the device into a room. After eight seconds, it releases environmentally safe nontoxic aerosols into the air.

The aerosols, which are safe for humans and pets, will knock down a contained fire up to about 5,300 square cubic feet and decrease the temperature of the fire by about 1,000 degrees in less than a minute.

On Tuesday, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office released body camera footage of a deputy using his brand new FST for the first time at a home in St. Paul Park last month.

A few minutes after using the FST, fire crews brought out the dogs and reunited them with their owners.

“So the sergeant watched [the training video] on Friday not knowing that Monday, four hours into his shift he’d be deploying it and actually knocking down a fire with it,” said Sheriff Dan Starry with the Washington County Sheriff’s Office.

The FST’s cost about $1,000 each.

Stillwater’s St. John’s Masonic Lodge, Grand Lodge of Minnesota, Minnesota Masonic Charities and the Stillwater Sunrise Rotary Club donated 24 fire suppression tools to public safety agencies throughout Washington County. The Masons will also help Washington County replace the one they just used.