Firefighters learn large animal emergency rescue
PUSLINCH – Local emergency responders are now better equipped to save large animals in distress thanks to an Equine Guelph course last weekend.
Firefighters gathered at Sunrise Therapeutic Riding and Learning Centre from Sept. 11 to 13 for Equine Guelph’s Large Animal Emergency Rescue Operational Level course.
Equine Guelph has been offering this training since 2014.
Communications and programs officer Susan Raymond said the training is important because “in today’s society, responding to incidents involving animals is both an expectation and an acknowledgement that such incidents will likely involve people putting themselves and others at risk.
“All large animal incidents, regardless of cause or scope, present a risk of injury to responders.
“Through proper training of best practices and the use of specialized rescue equipment risks can be significantly mitigated improving the odds of a favorable outcome for both animals and responders with a focus on welfare.”
The firefighters came from Puslinch Fire and Rescue Service, Rosemont District Fire Department, Scugog Fire and Emergency Service, West Grey Fire Service, West Elgin Fire Department, Milton Fire Department and Oliver Paipoonge Fire and Emergency Services.
For Raymond, the highlight was “seeing a number of departments come together and seamlessly work together on such a variety of scenarios available at Sunrise Therapeutic Riding Centre.”
She said the participants told her “it was a very worthwhile course.
“A number commented on having access to working with live horses as a special bonus.”
The course was presented in partnership with Puslinch Fire and Rescue Service and the Grand River Agricultural Society, and the instructors were Victor MacPherson, Dr. Chris Riley and Riley McGilloway.
MacPherson is the lead of Equine Bovine Swine and Poultry (EBSP) Rescue and the lead instructor for Equine Guelph Large Animal Emergency Rescue and Farm and Food Care Ontario Livestock Emergency Response.
Riley is the chair of clinical studies at the Ontario Veterinary College, and the former manager of the Veterinary Emergency Response Team at Massey University in New Zealand.
McGilloway is a third generation career firefighter with the Halton Hills Fire Department.
The firefighters spent Friday evening at the farm for introductory presentations, and then spent all day Saturday and Sunday there for hands on instruction, including working with real horses as well as a training mannequin horse.
The first responders learned how to use specialized equipment to perform live-saving maneuvers including mud rescues, stabalizing downed horses, cast horse rolls, and backwards and sideways drags.
