There are few fire departments that never have been called to release or rescue a large animal that has been involved in a highway accident or gotten itself into some form of life-threatening trouble. The U.K. Fire Services, for example, now faces with an ever-increasing number of calls to rescue large animals, especially horses. Estimates say that there are more horses than head of dairy or beef cattle in the United Kingdom.

In 2004, fire service legislation in the United Kingdom changed. The fire service now has statutory responsibility for providing animal-rescue training and capabilities. The new legislation also incorporated the fire service's Integrated Risk Management Plan, which was established to ensure that all 52 U.K. fire service agencies identify all the associated risks within their jurisdiction to determine the appropriate level of response.

The procedure for those calls was to use brute force, ignorance, ropes and hoses. There was no structured training or specialist information. On many occasions, the animals were injured so extensively that the veterinary surgeon had no choice but to euthanize the animals. And it was common for a police marksman to be called to put the animal down before the equine vet arrived.

But in the last few years, the horse industry has shown concern for fire and police services' lack of expertise when securing horses in trouble. In 2005, the British Horse Society brought together relevant organizations to draw up procedures for animal rescue. The committee included representatives from the fire and police departments, the U.K. equivalent of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, the highway department, and the Equine Veterinary Association, and was chaired by the CEO of BHS.

In October 2007, the groups produced a protocol document that covered the key decision-making stages and stated that the preservation of human life and prevention of injury to the rescuers would take priority over an animal's rescue. The document identified the need for an appropriately qualified veterinary surgeon to be summoned if an animal is thought to be injured. That vet will stabilize the injured animal or humanely destroy a severely injured animal before any rescue or recovery operation commences. The absence of the animal's owner must not prejudice or preclude the immediate attendance of a vet to treat or euthanize an injured animal.

For a U.S. fire department considering establishing or amending a policy document for animal rescue, the document should include — but not be limited to — the initial call received and response by the dispatch center, nighttime response and operation, arrival procedures, the role of the incident commander, straying and loose animals, injured animals, animals involved in burning buildings, water rescue, dead animals, the use of an animal air ambulance, equipment, standard apparatus, special vehicles, training, personal protective equipment, medical and first aid procedures, health and safety, decontamination and equipment clean-up, necessary liaisons, and the media.

These items also can be used to develop recommended operating guidelines for fire departments that don't have animal-rescue policies in place.

For example, each dispatch center should prepare and maintain a list of veterinary surgeons who are prepared to respond to an animal rescue incident. When a call comes in, the dispatcher should ascertain the exact nature of the incident, the precise location, human involvement, if the animal is in the water, if the animal's owner is present, if a vet has been called and his or her time of arrival, and if the incident is accessible by emergency vehicles or a boat. It is also important for the policy to indicate what level of response the dispatcher will call for a “trapped” animal (emergency response) or a “not-trapped” animal (non-emergency response).

The policy also should instruct officers to turn off the sirens in apparatus and other responding vehicles in close proximity to the animal incident to prevent startling the animal. Some fire departments may classify animal incidents as non-life threatening, so lights and sirens wouldn't be in use.

Training all firefighters involved with animal rescue prevents injury to rescuers and to the animal, as well as damage to the fire department's equipment. Firefighters should be trained in flight zones, means of restraint, sedation methods and veterinary practices, PPE, basic and advanced rescue techniques, basic animal identification markings, and special animal-rescue vehicle use.

Incident commanders should be trained specifically in animal handling and restraint techniques, command and control, scene safety and management, establishment of safe working areas, and potential scenarios for zoonotic disease infection.

When equipping the animal-rescue unit, fire departments should provide large and small rope halters, head collars with lead ropes, general or utility ropes, lunge lines, blindfolds, large plastic sheets, strops, strop guide, lifting and restraining hobbles, a combination air and water mud lance, inflatable rescue paths, rescue harness, shepherds crook or walking stick, dry suits, life jackets, rescuer harness, and waders or thigh boots. Firefighters also may use a rescue glide, “down a cow” harness, A-frame lifting device, tirfor winches or other hand-operated winch, and a helicopter sling.

Fire departments might find that a fair percentage of their animal-rescue calls involve overturned vehicles and trailers. Existing front-line apparatus and equipment are inadequate for such incidents, so some departments also will include specialized vehicles within their policy or might create a mutual-aid agreement with a neighboring department with a specialist vehicle.

A sample animal-rescue unit would be a 4×4 off-road vehicle with crew seating for six. It should have soft-ground tires and a high ground clearance. It also should have a minimum 3,000-pound capacity boom or extending arm crane, located over the rear axel, with jacks and soft-ground plates. The full-rotation crane would be operated from umbilical cord control box. The unit also would be equipped with a hydraulic winch and cable leading from the front and rear of the vehicle and built-in lighting generator with portable flood lights and tripods. Low-level lockers should store zone cordoning tapes, road cones, warning lights and signs, portable water pumps, drafting and delivery hoses, mud lances and hoses, and life jackets/preservers.

Rescue of any animal, large or small, wild or domesticated, can be challenging for the responders. Fire services have proved that in the past by attempting animal rescues with inappropriate equipment, insufficient training, and disregard for safety and welfare procedures. Fire departments need to introduce or re-examine their animal-rescue policies and guidelines to ensure a professional animal rescue service.

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Harry Paviour spent 30 years in the U.K. fire service, retiring as a senior division chief. A qualified and practicing Occupational Safety and Health Administration officer, he also is an associate instructor at the U.K. Fire Service College and a fire advisor to a number of horse societies.

Big Animals, Big Problems

Thousands of large animals are transported daily throughout the United States. Without specific knowledge, training and equipment, the possibility of the first responders becoming injured in a transportation emergency is very real. But with a thorough understanding of the animals and the hazards they pose, common rescue techniques can be adapted with special equipment to achieve a safe and positive outcome.

“We've found that emergency responders, while trained experts in human rescue and extrication, often have no training in large-animal rescue,” says Mark Cole of USRider Equestrian Motor Plan, a nationwide roadside assistance program for equestrians that promotes large-animal rescue awareness and training. “Because of this lack of training, responders are being put at great risk. Moreover, in many accidents and disasters, animals without life-threatening injuries are being injured further or even killed by use of incorrect techniques.”

First responders are accustomed to victims recognizing they are present in a helping role. However, a large animal involved in an emergency situation often is in a fight-or-flight survival mode and could easily injure or kill a first responder who's trying to help. Human reaction time is no match for the instinctive kick of a horse. Responders without adequate knowledge of safe, humane techniques have been killed while trying to euthanize animals.

Safety starts with the implementation of the National Incident Management System. An effective incident management system provides the means for a safe, organized and efficient rescue and allows personnel from various agencies to share a common communication language. The incident commander must perform a risk assessment and weigh the probability of rescuer injury. The IC then must evaluate this risk-versus-gain equation and act without jeopardizing rescue personnel. If specially trained responders and the required technical equipment are available, the probability of a safe and successful rescue increases for both the responders and the animal.

Well-intentioned rescuers without adequate knowledge of the anatomy and physiology of the animal can do more harm than good. For example, a lifting rope placed around the lower leg of a horse could easily maim the animal, resulting in the need for the animal to be euthanized. All too often, the neck of an animal is seen as a handle and a rope attached for pulling.

Most well-equipped technical-rescue teams already have much of the required equipment; however, additional unique pieces of equipment will be necessary. For instance, a large A frame tall enough and strong enough to lift a horse could be purchased or constructed. SCBA cylinders, regulators and hoses can be combined with PVC pipe to assemble a mud-rescue kit to inject air near the animal's feet to assist in freeing it. Telescoping poles to cut halters or pass tools or ropes through a trailer can be constructed to minimize risk and exposure to the rescuers. Rescue slings can be purchased or constructed to lift the animal while minimizing the danger of it falling during the lift. A special horse glide can be purchased to secure to the animal — much in the manner conventional back boards are used to stabilize humans. Ropes can be attached and a team of people can drag the animal to the nearest available transport vehicle.

Specialty courses are offered at many locations throughout the country and attendance literally could save the lives of those responders who attend. Eastern Kentucky University has established an annual large-animal rescue training program for students in the Fire and Safety Engineering Technology program. To date, approximately 100 undergraduate students have successfully completed training.

For additional information, contact Michael Shane LaCount at 859-622-1009.

2007 Animal Fire Deaths

In 2007, the United States recorded 203 barn and other animal-facility fires in which a total of 870,984 animals died. This does not include the hundreds of companion animals and birds that died in house fires. Of the 203 fires, only four were arson or suspicious. The remaining 199 fires could have been prevented.

The largest numbers of animals killed per fire occurred in factory farms. They included:

• 57,500 turkeys and turkey chicks;
• 35,820 ducks, ducklings, geese and goslings;
• 619,882 hens and chicks; and
• 4,902 pigs and piglets.

Animal fatalities in other livestock facility fires, mainly dairy farms and horse barns, included:

• 304 horses;
• 423 dogs, including family pets, farm dogs, puppy-mill dogs, and dogs in animal hospitals, shelters, and pet shops;
• 387 cats, including family pets, barn cats, and cats in animal hospitals, shelters and pet shops;
• 664 cattle and calves;
• 103 sheep and lambs; and
• 202 goats and kids.

In an unusual incident, 150,000 fish were killed in a barn fire at a fish farm.

In pet shop fires, 487 small mammals, 70 birds and 220 reptiles died; 20 wild animals died in zoo fires.

NFPA 150, Fire and Life Safety in Animal Housing Facilities, covers new construction of livestock facilities. Also www.firesafetyinbarns.com offers the latest information on fire safety in barns.
— Laurie Loveman, Highland Hills
(Ohio) Fire Department