The Time Is Running
After a few minutes of evaluating the situation and planning accordingly, they realized that even if it were to stop raining, the puppies would still be in danger, given that they were stuck in a cold, dark hole. They knew that the clock was ticking, and they should start acting before the situation gets worse.
Think Fast
Given that the puppies were too small to reach out of the hole by themselves, the firefighters inferred that the puppies could not escape on their own. They talked about the plan and the options they could consider for the puppies and agreed upon the notion that one or two firefighters should extract the puppies.