The Horse 911: What's Your Emergency?

Horse Trailer Ramp Safety

2013-06-13T11:02:00Z

Note: Thanks to Irv L. in Pennsylvania for the inspiration to write about this subject. I have used several of his thoughts freely in this post.

Ramps into horse trailers have been a great addition to facilitate ease of loading for horses as well as all the other things that we put into trailers when there aren’t horses in it (Come on, how many of us haven’t put the lawnmower or the ATV in there to go to the dealership? And I have used my trailers for moving friends on numerous occasions).

Many horses prefer a ramp instead of having to step up and down going into and out of a trailer.

Photo: Anne E. Eberhardt

Many horses prefer a ramp instead of having to step up and down going into and out of a trailer. However, just like everything else on the trailer, they require occasional maintenance and if you are looking at a used trailer for purchase you might want to know a little more about them for safe use.

Ramp Anatomy

Trailer ramps are normally on the rear of a noncommercial trailer and may be external to the back doors or the back door on some trailers. There are other larger trailers that have ramps on the side of the trailer so that horses can be loaded and unloaded in many configurations and walked through the trailer as well. To me this offers more access to the horses in an accident, so I think it is a good thing.

Commercial haulers may only have ramps on the side of their trailer and it will be a much higher deck, so they even use protection on the side of the ramp and cocoa mats to prevent horses from sliding or falling off while unloading and loading. In my opinion there should always be two restraints keeping horses in a trailer (i.e, a butt chain or bar and a ramp or door).

Some trailers, such as my slant load, have three (butt restraint gate, back doors, and ramp). This is safer for people because it prevents horses from getting excited and attempting to unload themselves before you have untied them or slamming the ramp down onto you while they leave the trailer over you (I actually know someone to whom that happened from a stock trailer with a huge ramp as the back door. He survived to tell the tale and I haven’t used that type of trailer since).

Ramps are pretty substantial in size and weight to be able to support the weight of a horse standing on it. They should mirror the full width of the trailer in the back, up to 8 feet wide and often ½ to ¾ to the full height of the trailer. The ramp should be covered with a non-skid surface on the inside to prevent animals from slipping when entering or exiting, and usually with some kind of rubber bumper on the end that touches the ground to minimize trauma to the ramp.

Ramps should be built to hold a horse with no support except at the hinge and end on the ground. Because the ramp may weigh hundreds of pounds, most companies make lifting the ramp more manageable with assists. Modern trailers will have torsion spring-loaded hinges in the bottom attachment point to the trailer. Older trailers may have garage-door type springs attached to the sides of the ramp. Springs can break, and they usually do so while in the extended postion (loaded). Others may include a small winch and cable substituted for the springs--a cheap solution and since these winches have little mechanical advantage, they only expose the wire rope to excessive wear (and eventual breakage), and stress the trailer frame especially if only one is used.

Using a Ramp

While loading or unloading the horse, you should choose a trailer with a ramp that does not force you to stand between the ramp and the ground while being locked/unlocked, especially if the springs should fail or if a horse should overcome its restraints and charge backwards into the ramp. All trailer ramps and doors should have sturdy latches and in my case I use a heavy duty carabiner to positive lock the latch in place. (I replace these with padlocks when not in use or in storage, so that no one can get into my trailer, but in case of emergency on the road I do not use padlocks while horses are inside.)

As part of a pre-trip check ensure all latches, gates, hinges and safety restraints are in working order. Latches, locks, and all moving parts of the hinges and springs should be lubricated regularly to prevent rust, lack of motility (seize up), and breakage. And when you return, clean the ramp and door hinges. The ramp location at the bottom of the trailer easily traps water, manure, road crud, and dirt, none of which are good for steel or aluminum. Check for corrosion frequently.

Have you seen anything go wrong with a ramp on a trailer? What did you learn from the experience? Please share with us.

Connecticut to Virginia with an Elderly Horse

2013-05-28T12:32:00Z

In a previous post, Nicole Ehrentraut from Da Vinci Equine gave an overview of her building a specialty emergency response and transportation business. In this follow up, I wanted to share her very touching story of moving Tootsie the Appaloosa mare, who had some special physical concerns and advanced age. Turns out they had to go during the storm of the century in the Northeast this winter, and it illustrates many features of specialized transport with ambulances.

--Rebecca

By Nicole Ehrentraut

This story started with a woman (Mary Mogenson in Connecticut) desperately needing specialized transport for her elderly mare. Finally she found Tori Miller via the Internet (SMART in North Carolina), who referred her to Da Vinci Equine Emergency Transport. Mary's horse Tootsie is an elderly Appaloosa mare that has lived with her since the horse’s birth. This mare taught Mary’s daughter how to ride and faithfully transported children around in a therapeutic riding program.

After years of service to her humans, Tootsie was wobbly on her hind legs and needed a warmer climate to spend her old age. That’s when Mary began her search for specialized transport. Her daughter lived in Virginia, and Mary knew Tootsie would have a hard time standing for such a long trailer ride. Ten-plus hours of hauling is hard on a healthy horse, much less an elderly horse with a weak hind end. Mary contacted me for transport and told me of the condition and age of her mare.

I admit, I was nervous in the beginning for liability issues, worried that the horse was in too fragile condition to make the trip even with our sling. I asked Mary for a current video of the mare and to get written permission from a vet for the trip. The video proved that Tootsie was in sufficient shape for the trip in a support sling, and we set a date for transport.

I knew this would be a tough trip, so I secured a midway stop to overnight and let Tootsie rest before continuing the journey. A week before transport, the worst snowstorm of the last 50 years was predicted for the New England region exactly during the time we were scheduled for transport. However, it was the only weekend we had free for another month and Tootsie needed to get south before the storm hit, because of her difficulty moving and the snow expected to be so deep.

I watched the weather carefully and listened to several different weather reports to figure out if we could even do this safely. After looking at several routes and the expected path of the storm, we left Thursday night to drive through the night to pick Tootsie up in Connecticut, and then get her to the overnight stop in Pennsylvania before the storm was expected to hit. We left Maryland at 6 p.m.

T.J., my staff member assisting in the haul, slept on the way up to rest for our switch off for the second shift of the haul. We arrived at Mary’s barn at 2 a.m. It was 8°F outside and windy. Mary and Tootsie were stars! Mary didn’t complain about meeting us in the middle of the night, and all her stuff was ready to go so we could just load Tootsie and go south!

Tootsie loaded right up onto the trailer, was hooked up into the sling like a pro. She was completely at ease, almost like she knew we were helping her. At 3 a.m., we took off across the north end of Connecticut, through New York, and then down to Reading, Pa., area.

We hit one bad bump about an hour into the trip and Tootsie did lose her balance. The sling caught her and she stood right back up. It was so comforting to see our equipment working the way it should! We enjoyed watching her calmly turn her head to check her rear end, and then go right back to eating hay on the video screen. She didn’t move or fall during the rest of the trip.

We found some icy rain just before dawn, but the roads had been pre-treated and very little traffic. We took it slower, just us and big truckers who better understand safer following distances and the limitations of driving a trailer. At daylight, we started south and the rain stopped. It was almost sunny at Reading. We arrived at the break stop around 11 a.m. Carefully unhooked, Tootsie popped right off the trailer and into her overnight stall without a batting an eyelash. We were so impressed by her and could clearly see why Mary was going through so much effort to get Tootsie to a warmer place.

Going to our hotel, the snow started coming down. We slept and relaxed until the next morning – when 6 inches of fresh snow greeted us! Fortunately, the roads were treated and clear. Again, Tootsie loaded right up and off we went. It got sunnier and warmer the further south we traveled. That afternoon, we arrived at Mary’s daughter’s farm in Virginia. It was a balmy 50°F and sunny, as opposed to the two feet of snow up at her former home in Connecticut, where the center of the storm had hit.

Mary reported that she couldn’t even get out of her front door without a lot of shoveling. We had just missed the Storm of the Century by hours. Tootsie unloaded and we led her to a 5-acre field. She perked her ears and started cantering around the field to check out her new place. We were all in tears, and Mary’s daughter said that was the first time in years that they’d seen Tootsie canter.

This was exactly why I started Da Vinci Equine, I was so touched that Mary would go through so much coordination and effort for her beloved horse, and then to see this grand old dame moving so beautifully was the icing on the cake. It’s amazing to watch their will to live, and how much people care for those that are very special.

Do you have similar experiences? Please share with the rest of us.

Top 5 Ways Not to Get Kicked

2013-05-03T18:48:00Z

The more time I spend around horse people, the more I have noticed that we have an attitude problem about getting injured and particularly about getting kicked by a horse. It seems that we wear a badge of honor for surviving a kick (which we certainly deserve since some people don’t survive it!).

Just yesterday I was listening to a tale from a local veterinarian whose leg was severely injured by a client’s horse. Thank goodness she was able to resolve the issue with surgical repair and seems to be healing beautifully.

Some of us (veterinarians, technicians, emergency rescue personnel, etc.) have even more exposure to the possibility of a kick due to our work. Kicks are a common enough to those who simply are leading or playing with horses, much less when one has to evaluate an injury or treat it up close and personal.

To avoid getting kicked, take care when moving near or between two horses standing or tied near each other.

Photo: Rebecca Gimenez

Personal story: I was kicked really hard when I was a teenager by a loose horse in a pasture that I was riding in. He ran up to say “hello,” I thought, then whirled to kick and my horse got out of the way, but my leg did not. I still have to bone swelling to prove it happened.
So how can we minimize the chances of getting kicked by a horse? I am sure that many of you have good ideas, but this would be my top list of ways to prevent injury kicks.

Do not enter the space with a horse (and particularly more than one horse) at feeding time. Horses are most aggressive at feeding times, and while attempting to fend off another horse, might accidentally catch you in the crossfire. Additionally, horses that normally would never consider kicking you on purpose, might do so as they get so excited about feed.
Spend time with your horse reducing his tendency to kick by desensitizing him to having his feet and legs, tail, body, and belly handled. Teach him that he doesn’t need to defend himself from you. A few minutes spent regularly just calmly brushing and picking hooves, rubbing the animal and checking for bruises or hot spots will pay off by teaching him that you aren’t trying to hurt him. (Plus, your farrier and veterinarian will appreciate your kind and easy to handle horse.) If you have a particularly ticklish or testy horse spend extra time getting him used to having ropes, whips and other items around his legs and feet as part of a desensitization program.
Learn more about horse body language so that you can tell when a horse is moody or aggressive. We all have heard not to walk up directly behind a horse where he can’t see us well, but this pays off especially if you are walking through a herd of loose horses. You might be able to spot a developing problem and more easily step out of the way. Don’t pin a scared horse into a corner, a trailer, or even a stall as it might kick just to defend itself from you. And watch all the horses around you, so that you don’t endure the kick that was aimed at another horse.
When you are forced to get close to a horse for grooming, injury treatment, saddling, or even applying methods to rescue him from entrapment, try to stay close to the animal with one hand on his body so you can feel his tension. This even works when handling the hind end. Although you will still get hit by the force of the kick, the forces should be less and the leverage that the kick has to break a bone is lessened.
Don’t walk between tied horses (crossties, high-line, opposite wall ties, etc.) that might kick at each other and accidentally get you, or worse, entrap you between them skirmishing. This extends to riding with friends: Never let your horse get close enough to their horses’ hind end that it could kick at yours. Horses are amazingly fast, and your horse might turn just in time to let you absorb the blow on the side.

As you can imagine, handling horses is a constant learning experience. The best thing we can do is not become complacent or allow ourselves to be distracted when around horses. What are your comments and stories? Please share your stories if you have ever been kicked: How did it happen and what did you learn?

The Birth of DaVinci Equine Emergency Transport, Maryland

2013-04-18T18:21:00Z

In the vein of the last few blog entries, I am trying to feature the efforts of people, teams and communities that are involved in some aspect of Equine Technical Rescue. This week I’d like to introduce Nicole Ehrentraut, owner of Da Vinci Equine Emergency Transport in Maryland (www.DaVinciEquine.com), who will discuss in detail about the first year since starting her business in Maryland to be able to both transport and respond to emergencies.
--Rebecca

By Nicole Ehrentraut

In Montgomery County Maryland’s beautiful agricultural reserve, horse and cattle farms abound. According to a 2007 census, more than 900 livestock-related farms are here, and about 800 of them are horse farms.

Right where we live in the National Capital Region, there are several major highway systems for numerous horse and livestock trailers daily. If there is a traffic accident involving large animals, it becomes paramount that proper training and techniques are used to protect human life, to protect expensive equine investments (racehorses and international show horses, as well as “priceless” and well-loved backyard horses), and to facilitate the speed at which the infamous traffic congestion is cleared.

Who does this job where you live?

Getting Started: Three years ago by the local fire chief asked me to teach his fire fighters some horse handling techniques. I was stunned to learn that they had virtually no large animal handling skills. I had always assumed that if there was a trailer accident or other large animal incident that the rescue squad just knew what to do, and so did my vet. I was wrong.

So when a friend suggested that I get training in emergency technical rescue for animals, it seemed a no-brainer. I Googled a Technical Large Animal Emergency Rescue (TLAER) course and showed up to it in Texas. I learned to avoid common mistakes during large animal incidents where human and horse injury could have been prevented. I had found where I belonged--in the world of equine sports (albeit an unusual one!).

I signed up for applicable courses with the mission to create a local and regional equine ambulance capable of on scene technical rescues, and customized transport for injured horses. Training, research and internship with DEFHR gave me the knowledge and skills to get involved, purchase a trailer, and then customize it for technical rescue and specialty hauling (that took six months.)

Specializations: Storage for the Rescue Glide (ceiling), specialty tool storage, extra padding, i.v. bag hangers, support beam for an equine sling, second trailer and truck tires, video camera and flashing lights on the ambulance for high visibility on scene and during transport. Meanwhile I was collecting equipment specialized for large animal rescue.

I based my purchases on veterinary advice, asking questions, such as:

If you needed to work out of my ambulance during a horse show, what would make your life a lot easier?
What kinds of first aid supplies would be good?
What situations have you experienced where a horse could have been saved but for the ability to transport it to a local equine hospital?

My goal was to be able to serve the community on all levels. Not just for shows or veterinary services. I wanted to transport injured horses to the hospital (whether totally recumbent or standing on three legs).

Could I handle virtually any emergency rescue situation for vertical lift, extrication out of mud or ice, etc.?
Could I pick up deceased animals for their owners in a way that showed respect for their horse instead of having a wagon show up and drag their beloved horse off with chains?
Could I give local courses on emergency preparedness, horse trailering safety, and simple rescue techniques to local barns, 4-H clubs, pony clubs, and give first responders basic safety information?

I realized there was a huge safety gap in the horse community. For example, many barn owners really wanted to have an emergency plan but were always too busy handling day to day chores to be able to sit down and actually put one together. Too many horse trailers being driven with little to no experience hauling, or with incorrectly matched towing vehicles, but the drivers were not aware of the challenges.
But how to do all these great things, and still pay the bills?

Last year we incorporated. Sharing safety provided better marketing visibility for the company - branding our name and logo, as well as show our excellent training so folks feel safe hiring us and trusting their horses in our hands.

As a secondary goal, we provide some casual hauling to vet appointments, horse shows, trail rides, picking up horses bought, or to local horse shows. We also get hired for larger shows as the on-call ambulance. After all, veterinarians get paid for their services, they save lives, but in order to do so, they pay a lot of money for their training and special equipment. So did I. I believe strongly in this and know that once our service catches on, it will be a huge help to both the equine community and to first responders.

Team members and uniforms: It is important to look unified as a team, professional, and easy to identify on scene. There are so many “rescues” that have poor reputations, it smears the industry. Therefore, we dress like a special ops team. Yes, it’s “branding” that people already easily associate with expertise and respect. It works.

I have the words “Team Leader” written on my clothing so folks know who to go to for decisions. Also, everyone’s name is on their apparel so that folks know who they are talking to. It makes things more personal. Our goal is to not only be professional and state-of-the-art, but to be friendly and approachable. We want people to want to hire us because they had great service. It also makes us memorable.

I have official highly trained team members, who have special qualifications they must meet, such as Operations Level TLAER, FEMA courses, CPR/First Aid, and other classes. All of my team members must have rabies and hepatitis A and B shots.

We meet monthly and train bi-monthly. I run my team similar to the way a fire department would run its team. It’s creates a hierarchy and everyone knows the rules and earns their way to higher levels on the team.

We have also realized the need for auxiliary volunteers. These are not full team members but are extra help and our backup plan if none of the official team members can come on a rescue. I determine their level of involvement on scene based on their skills and the seriousness of the incident.
Legal and insurance: It took more than a year to get liability insurance. It was difficult for companies to figure out how to rate us since we were involved in risky activities. There really isn’t much precedence for equine emergency response teams and specialized trailering.

This has been the most difficult part of the business so far. Out of grief, owners sometimes look for someone to blame, and the emotion leads them to do extreme things. From this, we learned to bill up front, using a credit card. Clients pay us a flat fee immediately upon arrival. If there is a dispute, it goes through the credit card company.

We also have a transport contract, a carcass removal contract and an incident report. Because of our weight and commercial capacity as a business, we need a Department of Transportation (DOT) number. Figuring out these laws is difficult in the beginning. We stop at weigh stations because we are over 10,000 lbs. but under 25,000 lbs., so we do not have to do drug testing for employees, CDL license, etc. We do keep driving logs, get the trailer and truck inspected once a year, and go through the initial DOT inspection within the first 18 months of business.

I currently on have one team member with enough experience driving horse trailers whom I trust to drive our clients’ horses. Others are going through extensive training with me to learn special skills to be able to haul horses in distress.

A look to the future: We are currently partnering with Code 3 Associates to be able to respond with them for natural disasters. We also respond with the NDART for the Humane Society United States and American Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. We’ve been on scene for two large neglect rescue impounds already.

We are working together with other equine ambulances in the industry. This team work is incredibly important because we can all help each other and cover more area.

Conclusion: In our first year, we’ve been on several emergency incidents, mostly horses down and needing assistance to stand. Some lived, some did not. It’s part of the business. But we know we did all we could do. We’ve been hired to transport horses that needed our sling in the ambulance to go to Cornell and Marion Dupont Equine Hospitals, an injured famous demonstration Appaloosa to his home in Georgia, and even an elderly horse that simply needed a little extra help for a very long ride to a barn farther south. We’ve been to several horse shows.
We’ve brought many deceased horses on their final journey, and been hired for long and short casual hauls. We have a Facebook page, a website and plan to attend local veterinarian conferences to make sure the vets know we are here to help--usually it’s the vet who calls us for emergencies!
We have flyers up in tack stores, and have created magnets with our info and a place to put your vet’s info readily available. These flew off the counters. For a first year, it’s been pretty great!

Thank you to Nicole and DaVinci Equine Emergency Transport. Good luck and thank you for sharing your learning curve. I hope that others will get involved in this specialty area.

What are your experiences with using a for-hire ambulance for your horse? What can you share with others about what to look for?

SAVMA 2013 Wet Lab Features Mock Disaster Drill with Animals

2013-04-02T20:05:00Z

During the Student American Veterinary Medical Association (SAVMA) 2013 convention at Louisiana State University last week, 84 students had the opportunity to participate in a mock disaster drill with animals. With a swell in the number of incidents involving animals in disasters, the need for specialized training in disaster response has increased over the last two decades, and veterinary students are realizing their roles on scene. Students intend to bring this information back to their school to improve their tactics, techniques and procedures.

Veterinary students outfitted in Tyvek hazmat suits learn about decontaminating horses in the event of a chemical disaster.

Photo: Rebecca Gimenez

Collaboration between Louisiana State Animal Response Team (LSART), Veterinary Medical Assistance Teams (VMAT), Baton Rouge Parish Animal Control and Emergency Medical Services (HAZMAT division), LSU Veterinary School staff and faculty, Mississippi Animal Response Team (MART), Technical Large Animal Emergency Rescue (TLAER), and the Stephenson Disaster Management Institute (SDMI) allowed the coordinators to set up and conduct a mini-scale disaster shelter wet lab. Many of the instructors flew in from all over the country to contribute their expertise to the scenarios.

Starting with a realistic scenario safety and logistics briefing (as they would normally get at the command post), the students were then transported by bus into a mock disaster zone at a facility near LSU. There they round robin into to three disaster response stations to actually participate in performing tasks that are commonly associated with animal response in disasters and emergencies. The mock scenario involved an overturned train with chemical gasses emanating, with the local people escaping with their lives and their animals. Unfortunately, some of the animals and people are covered with the unknown substance, and now they are showing up at the local emergency shelters with their pets (dogs, horses, cats, snakes, etc.) Also, while trying to evacuate one person called in with an exhausted horse that had fallen down behind their trailer when trying to be loaded.

At the hasty Animal DECON station at the shelter, the students actually put on hazmat suits before entering the warm zone to catch a live horse (donated for the day by an LSART volunteer). Then they conducted gross decontamination of both a large dog and the horse (with plain water for the mock scenario). Before and after, students were evaluated for their blood pressure, health and body temperature by paramedics--wearing these suits is extreme confinement and builds up heat quickly. Lively discussion of technical decontamination methods and hazmat protocols followed the exercise, as well as the opportunity to view actual equipment and tools used in a decontamination scenario for animals.

In another station at the animal disaster shelter, students learned how to set up the quarantine, check-in, triage, and treatment stations associated with the opening of a small animal disaster animal shelter facility (as might be found with a co-located human and animal shelter.) They learned by doing how to better manage the anticipated flow of hundreds of animal patients and their concerned owners (played by local volunteers who brought their pets of all shapes and sizes to descend upon the students at the shelter).

You can imagine how challenging this was to do, keeping the pitbulls away from the cats, and the “mange” puppies away from the other dogs, and the “injured” ones away from the rest. Oh yeah, and when the horses show up, what to do with them? (Since they really don’t fit into a dog crate!)

The last station involved learning to package and transport a large animal victim on a sked device called a Rescue Glide. This station featured the use of “Mayhem,” the new name of the 500 pound fully bendable Horse Rescue Mannequin recently acquired by LSU Veterinary School and LSART through the American Veterinary Medical Foundation (AVMF). Students had to first take on the roles of IC, Operations, Safety and Logistics Officers, to control the scenario through use of the Incident Command System. Then the medical team had to triage and provide first aid to a possible fracture, anesthetize and the operations team then packaged Mayhem onto the Rescue Glide. Then everyone got on the ropes and pulled him around to discover how easy it is to move a recumbent large animal on these devices.

It is hoped that through exposure to professional experiences with disaster coordination and planning that these future veterinarians will have increased knowledge as to proper techniques and methods that can be applied to disasters and emergencies.

For more information on the SAVMA 2013 disaster exercise, contact Rebecca McConnico, DVM, PhD Professor, Large Animal Internal Medicine LSU Veterinary School, Baton Rouge, LA (225) 578-9500 mcconnico@vetmed.lsu.edu.

Milton, Ga., Response Program is a Huge Success

2013-03-21T16:17:00Z

In this blog, I am trying to focus attention on groups or teams of people who are taking the ideas of large animal and equine technical rescue and implementing it in their communities. Numerous groups across the country are providing equine emergency rescue or even ambulance services to horses and owners within their localities. This week we will take a look at the Milton Technical Large Animal Rescue Unit in Milton, Ga., which has outfitted its department with a cache of large animal equipment, responds to needs within its jurisdiction and region, and is performing training on an ongoing basis.

The Milton unit used a Becker sling to perform a textbook rescue on this mare, who was trapped in mud.

Background: In 2008, Milton, Ga., initiated training in large animal emergency rescue of several of their firefighters and began adding large animal rescue knowledge, equipment and training to the department’s cache and capabilities. Within a matter of weeks, team members were getting calls to assist with horses in mud, overturned or through the floor of trailers, and trapped in various entrapment scenarios.

Battalion Chief Bill Bourn says, “We have had a tremendous response to our TLAER program since its inception in August of 2008. The local equestrian organizations and boarding and training facilities have helped to spread the word about the services we offer.”

The team has responded to numerous incidents (more than 100) during the program's five years and is always happy to help both horses and their owners with a safe, efficient plan for rescue.

A recent example: A news story from the local NBC affiliate highlighted the teams efforts last summer.

Community involvement: Chief Bourn said, “We are frequently asked to bring our equipment trailer to their facilities or to community events to tell about our experiences and to demonstrate some of our rescue techniques. The community understands and accepts the fact that although this service is provided by the fire department and its personnel, the training and equipment used for TLAER incidents is funded solely by donations and that no taxpayer funds are used for this program.”

This donation stream has even allowed Milton to buy one of the Randy Rescue Horse Mannequins that it can utilize for professional training of their personnel, as well as a great prop for educational seminars.

Jurisdictions working together: Milton and its surrounding jurisdictions are working together on these types of incidents. Due to a very large equine population within their response area, and being within the piedmont and mountains of Georgia where there are numerous very active horse trail systems, the teams has many callouts to assist. Milton has mutual aid agreements with Cherokee County and Forsyth County Fire departments. These jurisdictions border the city of Milton and fall within the approved response areas for the team. The biggest obstacle they have faced is getting the public to utilize the 911 system when they need large animal rescue services (instead of calling Milton directly).

The plan currently requires the jurisdiction where the incident has occurred to dispatch one of their units first, then request through the dispatcher a mutual aid request for Milton's team to respond. The dispatcher then calls Milton to respond. This is a work in progress and it continues to get better as time goes on.

Chief Bourn notes, “We also have at least a half dozen large animal veterinarians who are familiar with our program and have agreed to respond (if available) when we request them.”

Ongoing training: The City of Milton Fire Department currently has 17 personnel trained to the operations level, and the entire department has been trained to Milton's "awareness" level, meaning that the personnel is trained to know what each piece of equipment is and what it is used for so they can be safe when working around TLAER incidents. All of our personnel participate to some extent, in TLAER training for the department, and they continue to send personnel each year to get the operations level training.

If you need more specific information about the Milton Technical Large Animal Rescue Unit and program or how you can get your fire department involved in similar efforts, please contact: Bill Bourn, Battalion Chief City of Milton Fire Department, B-Shift, bill.bourn@cityofmiltonga.us, 770-827-1049.

Those of you that have large animal or equine teams or ambulances in your area, please share that information with us on this post. We are always interested to see what is out there--around the country or around the world. Thank you!

University of Florida VETS Team: Disaster Response

2013-03-01T15:28:00Z

In my travels around the country, I meet the most fascinating people, and I realize that there are so many programs that are being implemented to plan and assist animals (of all species, but including horses) in emergency situations. I would like to share a few of these with you in upcoming posts that will focus on equine disaster planning and response at local and regional levels.

The University of Florida's College of Veterinary Medicine Veterinary Emergency Treatment Service Team

This week I'd like to introduce John Haven, director of the University of Florida’s (UF) School of Veterinary Medicine. John and I met about 10 years ago. He was driven to improve his team’s response capabilities and provide training to their members. Since then he has taken the entire State Animal Response Team (SART) model as originally drafted by North Carolina, and pushed it to becoming a nationally known, cutting-edge program for other teams to consider modeling themselves after.

In a state that is well known for its horse evacuations, this is a wonderful thing.

In the beginning:

UF’s College of Veterinary Medicine Veterinary Emergency Treatment Service team was a product of the response requirements placed on the college by the state during the devastating 2003 hurricanes. Despite having no dedicated equipment, team assignments, or training, John rallied volunteers and deployed to Hurricanes Charlie, Frances, and Jeanne, and included medical, logistical, ICS command, and rescue responsibilities.
At the end of 2003, the State Veterinarian’s Office, the Florida Veterinary Medicine Association, and the College of Veterinary Medicine leadership met to decide what kind of a role the college would play in future responses. It was decided the college should provide:

Rapid veterinary infrastructure assessment;
Logistical support for open veterinary clinics unable to obtain supplies or fuel;
Operate a self-contained veterinary clinic of up to 18 team members for all species; and
To perform animal technical rescue.

The college director was also added to the state SART steering council. The college proceeded to purchase trucks, trailers, tents, generators, medical equipment, etc., and the team obtained extensive training through TLAER, Inc.

Where they are today:

The team typically participates in at least one deployment exercise a year with other national, state and local partners to practice its hospital and deployment capabilities, and practices its technical rescue skills with local agencies on a regular basis.

The team works with multiple student clubs to develop a series of labs involving animal technical rescue skills with the goal of preparing UF veterinary graduates to be able to assist their communities during disasters or technical rescues. Many of these students take Incident Command System classes through the UF CVM Maddie’s Shelter Medicine program, and higher level ICS 300 and 400 classes are also provided. This ensures that they know how to “plug in” to emergency response programs and on scene.

The significant size and capability of the team makes it one of the largest in the country. The team is deployable under federal declarations, to include EMAC to other Southern states, within the state under a governor’s declaration, and locally under mutual aid agreements, or for technical rescue 24/7/365 within a two-hour range of the Gainesville, Fla.

The team has been involved in several local or regional horse, dog, and cow technical rescues, including mud extrication and high angle sinkhole rescues. The team has transported animals related to wildfires and assisted local agencies with several large (600+) animal hoarding cases performing medical evaluation and animal transport.

Realizing that Florida is a large state, and needing coverage beyond the UF coverage zone for animal technical rescue, the college developed a DHS approved Operations Level course for animal technical rescue, and has delivered this two-day, hands on, high intensity training, to the seven Regional Domestic Security Task Force zones across the state.

Besides this training, FL SART was able to obtain equipment caches for each of these teams. All of the equipment is on the AEL-approved equipment list, including the large and small animal technical rescue equipment. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue has a team and two caches.

Into the future:

Recognizing there is a broad range of animal technical rescue training programs, and that few fit into the “awareness,” “operations,” and “technician” level standards followed by first responders, many fire departments are uncomfortable performing animal technical rescue. In most cases they do the best they can, but sometimes at great risk to themselves and the animals they try to rescue.

To attempt to improve this variety of programs into a standard, in March 2012 John joined the National Fire Protection Association and convinced the 1670 Committee on Technical Rescue that there was a need to develop a standard. He was appointed co-chair of a task group on animal technical rescue to and spent the last year working with subject matter experts from TLAER, Inc., University of California, Davis’ vet school, and various other agencies around the country.

The standard was addressed by the committee in Feb 2013, to be published in late 2013. and will outline the standard for team capabilities and standards for the next five years. Its next task will be to work on individual training standards (NFPA Committee 1006). The VETS team equipment and training has been funded primarily through grants and donations. For more information, please contact John Haven, CVM, director and VETS team leader, at 352-294-4254.

Handling Non-Medical Trail Emergencies

2013-02-26T19:05:00Z

Out on the trail when an emergency occurs, you might wonder, “Who should I call?”

And of course since you will have a cell phone (a crucial part of any emergency kit) your first call should be to 911 for assistance with any people that are potentially injured, as well as extrication assistance for the horse. If you have a Large Animal Rescue trained team locally that is who you should ask the dispatcher for help.

The second call should be to a local large animal veterinarian, because every animal that gets trapped should be evaluated after extrication for lacerations, stress injury, bruising, dehydration, and other unseen injuries that occur. In fact, a professional emergency response team will refuse to respond to a large animal emergency without a veterinarian being called to the scene or on call to respond.

If you have friends or neighbors with horse sense and some tools, you might want to call them as well. However, some of the backcountry and trail extrication scenarios that occur will require more technique and specialty equipment than the average backyard horse owner may have available. Specifically, mud extrication and ravine rescues can require portable compressed air, rope, and mechanical advantage systems, as well as sedation from the veterinarian.

All are good reasons to initiate an emergency call in the first place, and if you wait too late and it starts getting dark or raining then you can expect that the speed of the response will be very slow and the horse’s medical condition will deteriorate faster.

For example, in 2005 we were called to a horse incident in the Great Smokey Mountains where a horse had slipped off a steep trail, slid more than 50 feet down, and when the owner last saw it, was trapped between a tree and a boulder, upside down. It was about 4 p.m., and dark came to the mountains earlier, so by 8 p.m. it could not be seen.

The owner called for help by hiking up to the top of the mountain for cell coverage, and the park rangers sensibly required her to hike down to the campsite as rain began to fall and the temperatures fell into the high 40s. Unprotected, the owner would have died of hypothermia that night. We got the call at 8 p.m. and drove several hours to get there, sliding into our sleeping bags by midnight so we could begin the search at first light.

We hiked almost 4 miles up the mountain towards the Appalachian Trail--the ranger, a couple assistants, and us. I have to admit the entire hike I was expecting to find a dead horse when we got to it. Heck, we were hoping that the owner could remember where she last saw the horse! And yes, we took a gun with us to dispatch it humanely in case it was injured or in shock and dying. I had many thoughts on that wind-sucking hike of how horrified I would be if it were my horse left out there overnight.

Imagine our surprise when we rounded a bend and heard a low whicker, the horse was standing on the trail, shivering violently but alive and very happy to see people. Somehow he had wiggled enough (and the owner had removed the saddle girth while he was stuck and before she had to leave him) to get out of his predicament in the dark, cold, and rain. He found his way back up to the trail. The owner had faithfully toted the horse’s blanket up the mountain and we blanketed him, gave him all the water we had in our backpacks (dehydration is a consequence of stress) and let the horse drink out of every rivulet and puddle on the way slowly back down the mountain. When he reached the bottom, we put an IV for fluids in the horse, fed him a warm mash of feed and alfalfa, loaded him in the ambulance, and drove him immediately to the veterinarian, who was able to treat and stabilize him. The horse survived.

This scenario demonstrates that coordination, having a plan, and having a cell phone are crucial before you get on your horse and step into the backcountry or even a local trailhead.

What are your experiences and stories related to these types of scenarios? What are your suggestions for trail tools and equipment to stay safe and react effectively?

Top 5 Basic Safety Changes to Your Barn

2013-02-21T20:04:00Z

I recently read a couple of safety articles and one author had found a neat quote:

"There is no such thing as an accident--it is simply fate, misnamed," Napoleon Bonaparte.

I have my own quote:

"There is no such thing as an accident--they are only incidents."

Another words, no matter how unfortunate the situation, something somewhere probably could have prevented it from happening. The issue is usually having enough knowledge to understand where the problems lie and also checking back regularly to fix things that break.

How can you prevent basic safety accidents around your barn? Remember that your horses are not the only ones that can get injured, so can you. Another wise thing to do is have an outside eye look at your facility and give you honest feedback about what you can do to fix it.

Give yourself and the horse egress room, and more of it.The wider the stall door, doors out of the barn, and trailer doors – the less the chance of the horse catching a hip or crushing a person while moving though the space. According to National Fire Protection Association standards, there should be egress from a building every 50 feet; yet there are so many barns that are 150 feet long with only an egress at the far ends.
Minimize slick floors. Neither humans or horses can walk on slick concrete, plywood, or cheap rubber mats with no grip, especially when they get wet. When installing concrete, groom it to give it a texture and a slight angle so that it drains easily. Try not to get the floor wet before you have to lead horses down the aisle, and consider the use of heavy textured rubber mats in the wash rack and inside your horse trailer. One of the worse surfaces for horses is wet asphalt--the oils that exude from hot asphalt can be extremely slick. Many horses have been injured just being led across these surfaces.
Minimize the ever-present loose nails, wires, splinters, and sharp edges. Horses are tough on their surroundings, but so is Mother Nature. The wind blows and pulls nails loose or drops branches onto fencing. Rain and humidity cause things to become rusty and fall apart. You must do a regular hunt for these types of protrusions and be especially vigilant about failures of your horse’s security system: the fence. Remember to look around inside the stalls and your horse trailer for similar protrusions and dangerous sharp edges.
Improve lighting around your barn,especially the places that you might go in the dark (feeding, checking on foaling mares, waterers, etc.). Firefighters have a phrase, “There is no reason to suffer in the dark.” They know that a great number of injuries happen when you can’t see what you are doing, and that you aren’t as effective at a task, either. The side benefit is that security of your barn will be greatly increased at the same time. For example, lights can be motion sensored. This is a great way to get the light you need without paying too much for it, if you set it to only stay on while you are present.
While improving the lighting (#4 above) you will need to hire an electrical contractor to install the electrical for that, and while they are there have them evaluate your barn’s electrical service. If you want to put in a water heater, microwave, and fans (agricultural rated fans only, please!) then you will want to tell them that so that they can make sure your electrical can handle that load. Since electrical issues cause a majority of barn fires (along with burning cigarette butts), you can sleep in peace knowing that you have completed a major task to ensure safety in your barn.

I know that some of you have other ideas for general safety around your facilities. Would you mind sharing your ideas here on this blog? We all learn from each other’s successes and failures.

Barn Fire Safety Checklist

2013-02-05T16:28:00Z

A couple of weeks ago I was on a conference call with several National Fire Protection Association experts in the fire safety arena discussing agricultural fire safety. Coincidentally, that evening I received an email from Michelle Staples, coordinator of the Large Animal Rescue newsletter and author of self-published “Save Your Horse – A Horse Owners Guide to Large Animal Rescue.” She had put together a Fire Safety Checklist for her website that people can use to ensure that their barn is as prepared as possible for this eventuality.

While editing the book for her I thought, I need to provide this to TheHorse.com readers immediately!” See the checklist at the bottom of this post and please share it with others in your community.

Barn-fire prevention requires a strategy like no other. You must be able to detect a fire with good quality smoke/flame/heat detectors; alert the response system; surpress the flame threat (usually via sprinklers); and of course have a response such as the fire department arrive. Sprinklers are something that the fire department strongly recommends.

NFPA 150 is the Standard for Animal Housing Facilities (including horse barns) and is very specific about recommendations for sprinklers. Yet I know of very few barns that have them. Why don’t horse barns have this crucial safety equipment as standard items? My opinion is that it is because veterinarians and fire department personnel are the very last experts to be consulted by horse people when they build a barn! They use the expertise and advice of their next door neighbor, the Internet, a $10 barn building book at the local home improvement store, or engineer the entire thing themselves depending on the code enforcement in their jurisdiction.

Sprinklers are much cheaper to install, maintain and are far more reliable than in the past. There really is no excuse not to put them into new barn construction, and retrofits are becoming far more affordable.

Now, for the checklist. Review the following and see how many apply to your property.

Outside:

My address is posted very clearly in reflective numbers at the road.
I have contacted the fire department and they have given me minimum height and width requirements and turning radius for their vehicles.
My driveway/road can accommodate my fire department’s vehicles (no overhanging branches, gravel or other improved base, etc.).
My fire department knows the location of all water sources on my property – ponds, wells, storage tanks, hydrants – and there is easy access to them.
I have a standpipe installed in the pond on my property (if applicable).

Have "No Smoking" signs posted around the barn and make sure visitors are aware of the rules.

Photo: Photos.com

My fire department knows the location of all emergency utility shutoffs.
I have installed stall doors that open to the outside of every stall.
If there is a lock on my gate I have a lock box and my emergency responders have access, and if there is a combination lock, they have the combination.
There is a layout of the property in the lock box and the fire department also has a copy.
I have cleared a fire barrier along my road, all fences, and along my driveway.
I have cleared all debris and dead vegetation from around my stable.
There are no overhanging trees at my stable.
My parking area does not impinge on access or turning room for emergency vehicles--no one is allowed to park vehicles or trailers in front of the barn except for temporary loading and unloading.
I have clearly marked and easily accessed water spigots on all sides of my stable, with attached hoses that will stretch the full length of the side of the barn.
I have a shovel and a ladder on each side of my stable.
I have posted “No Smoking” signs around my stable and have informed my boarders and visitors that smoking will not be tolerated around my property.

Inside:

I have a sprinkler system inside my stable that was installed by a contractor and is prepared to handle the challenges of climate and water availability in my area.
I have clearly marked utility shutoffs. My boarders know where they are and how to turn them off.
I have marked and updated fire extinguishers at each exit, and if my stable is large I have one every 50 feet (minimum 10 pound extinguishers).
Everyone at my stable knows how to use a fire extinguisher (and has shown me that they do).
I have more than one doorway from the inside leading out of my stable and it is not locked when there are people inside.
Access barn doors open to the full width of the aisles.
I have all electrical wire encased in non-corrosive conduit.
I have all light fixtures encased in safety cages.
I do not use electrical extension cords anywhere in my barn.
Cobwebs, hay, and debris are cleaned up on a daily and weekly schedule.
All doors to stalls are in good working condition.
I do not have any household extension cords, fans, or heaters in my stable.
All equipment is designed for use in a stable, and if I am using household electrical appliances (microwaves, coffee makers, etc.) then I have paid an electrician to upgrade the electrical service to that part of the barn.
I have a phone in my stable, and it is easily accessible, clearly marked, and emergency numbers and directions to the property are posted close by.
Every horse has a halter and lead rope on his outward-facing door.
Every horse and every boarder has practiced emergency evacuation procedures (horses have practiced with and without a blindfold), and every horse has been introduced to a firefighter in turnouts.
Every boarder understands that once flames are seen in a fire, that no one will be allowed to enter the interior aisle of my barn, no matter how valuable the horses nor how “safe” it might appear to do so, and they understand that all horses must be extricated from the outside wall of my barn.
I have designed my property to use a “run out” method of fire evacuation for the horses, where we can open the stall doors to the outside wall, chase the horses out into a laneway (without having to individually catch them), close the stall door, and all the horses run down the laneway to a safe holding area at least 100 feet from the barn.
Every horse knows how to load into a trailer quickly and under any circumstance (veterinary emergency, wildfire evacuation, etc.).
Hay and shavings are stored at least 50 feet away from my stable (not above the horses).
All fuel, and vehicles that run on it, are at least 50 feet away from my stable.
All aisles are clear of any hazards, including hay bales, tack boxes, electrical cords, and cleaning equipment such as rakes.
There is easy and clear access to a secure space away from the barn where horses will be evacuated.
I have lightning protection on top of my barn.
I have used flame retardant paints, varnishes, and coatings on the wood in my barn.
I have hired a contractor to install a detection, alarm, and suppression system in my barn so that I can go to work or to sleep and know that a fire will be detected in the very earliest stages of smoldering, not when the flames are leaping into the air.
Barn evacuation and safety are discussed at every boarder’s meeting at my facility so that everyone is aware of the dangers.

Have plenty of working fire extinguishers available around the barn, and be sure that everyone knows how to work one.

Photo: Erica Larson/TheHorse.com News Editor

Please do a walkthrough with your fire department, hire a certified electrician to evaluate your facility, and call a contractor to install your smoke/flame detectors and hardwire them to your security system. Then call a contractor for a quote to install sprinklers, and send me photos and your comments when you complete the project and see the significant savings on your insurance premium for doing the right thing.

I look forward to your comments on this issue.