Large Animal Technical Rescue: Safety and Success Through Prevention, Preparedness, and Partnerships

Location: Hanover Fire and EMS Training Center, 13038 Winston Road, Ashland, VA (Hanover County)

Dates/time: March 22-24, 2024, 8am-5/6pm

For course registration and information contact: Brooks Lusk at [email protected], 804-641-1196

Registration is available on TERMS (https://terms.ncem.gov/TRS/)

Instructors: Justin and Tori McLeod, 4Hooves Large Animal Services, LLC, www.4HoovesSMART.com

Animal emergencies are known for becoming human emergencies, especially if emergency responders or veterinary professionals are unable to respond or unable to affect a rescue due to lack of proper equipment or training. Once an emotional owner, “Good Samaritan”, or “social media responder” with little to no training attempt a rescue, they often unintentionally become a victim requiring assistance from emergency services and further compromising the animal even further by delaying its rescue. Either way, the animal will need to be rescued… the question that remains is “Are you or the agency, organization, business, or department prepared to handle the rescue operation safely, efficiently, and successfully?” This course will provide an educational and interactive approach to basic on-hand and specialized equipment, simple to complex techniques, and safety considerations to prepare the individual rescuer for the unexpected, therefore increasing the chances of a successful outcome and decreasing the risk of iatrogenic injury or death of the animal victim, rescuers, or bystanders.

Topics Covered:

Topics will include but not limited to… Animal Behavior (large animal and companion animal), Safety Considerations, Handling and Restraint (large animal and companion animal), Containment, Entrapments, Motor Vehicle Accidents and Overturned Trailers, Barn and Wildfires, Unstable Ground (mud, trench, ice, etc.) Incidents, Water Rescues, Natural Disaster Preparation and Response, Hazardous Materials Decontamination, etc. Course content will consist of audiovisual lectures, demonstrations, and hands-on practical exercises. Currently, this is not a recognized certification course per NFPA or AVMA standards, however portions of this course coincide with aspects of the NFPA standards 1670, 150, 1006, 1952, and 1983. *NFPA 1670 (Animal Technical Rescue for Awareness, Operations, and Technician Levels) – NFPA 150 (Fire and Life Safety in Animal Housing Facilities) – NFPA 1006 (Technical Rescue Personnel Professional Qualifications) – NFPA 1952 (Surface Water Operations and Protective Clothing and Equipment) – NFPA 1983 (Life Safety Rope and Equipment for Emergency Services)* and FEMA Resource Typing for Animal Rescue Technicians and Teams.