Barnstead firefighters receive training on how to rescue horses and other large animals
12 Barnstead firefighters are getting properly trained this weekend
12 Barnstead firefighters are getting properly trained this weekend
12 Barnstead firefighters are getting properly trained this weekend
One New Hampshire fire department received specialized training this weekend to be able to help large animals in distress.
Twelve Barnstead firefighters are getting properly trained to help horses or other large animals in emergencies.
"These animals are people's pets. They love these animals, so there's a special care that has to be given and these animals are in fright," Chief Al Poulin said.
The department has responded to several horse rescues in recent years. This weekend, Patriot Equine Technical Rescue is showing firefighters how to rescue the animals safely during emergencies.
"It's not a matter of the old days of putting a rope on a horse's neck or legs and pulling them out of whatever their entrapment is," Katherine Dwyer, founder of Patriot Equine Technical Rescue said.
The organizations is one of the few that teaches these skills. Using a 650-pound horse manikin, Dwyer showed the proper placement points to rescue the animal while minimizing chance of injury for everyone involved.
"If there was equipment and a trained team in the area that could respond with veterinarians, huge benefit to the animals," Dwyer said.
That is what Poulin hopes to do. His team will be able to help other departments in the region, and he'll be seeking donations for rescue equipment, which can costs thousands of dollars.
"We want to be trained so that we have some type of knowledge of the equipment that's available on the market today and we can obtain this equipment and assist these people," Poulin said.