The Horse 911: What's Your Emergency? : emergency services

Milton, Ga., Response Program is a Huge Success

REBECCA — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 16:17:00 GMT

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!

Situational Awareness

REBECCA — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 13:53:00 GMT

Do you know what is going on around you most of the time? Are you aware of the smells, the sounds, and the sights around you at all times? Can you tell me what is the color of the car that is driving behind you (without looking in the mirror)? Or are you one of those people that tends to float down the street with your nose in your cell phone... trusting that others will step out of the way for you? When you ride your horse, are you blissfully unaware or are you paying attention to their footfalls, their rhythm, their ears turning, and their focus?

Situational awareness (SA) is originally a military term for a person's ability to perceive the dynamic elements around themselves and how your actions can change that, and being able to estimate how those factors and influences may transform with the changing of variables such as time, people, space, etc. In the emergency services, this is the gift of wisdom that comes with years of exposure to situations of many types, and the added complexities of human, politico-social, environmental, stress and leadership factors. Generally, SA is a highly-valued trait in leaders, managers, and decision makers--especially for people who work in jobs that have a lot of information flowing into the situation (disaster management and emergency scenes are a good example) or a high probability that something tragic will happen if you fail (nuclear power plants, pilot of an airplane, combat medic, etc.).

Interestingly, you have some level of SA, too--if you have ever driven a car, ridden a horse, or played an instrument with any level of skill. To perform any task, whether difficult or seemingly easy, requires SA of your vicinity, of the changing conditions around you, and of what can happen if you don't keep the car on the road, etc. Olympic-quality athletes and ace pilots have very highly developed skills of SA. Heck, even signing your name requires command of a multitude of tasks and intense concentration by your brain. Best of all, SA is a skill, implying that it is something that with practice you can IMPROVE!

Jockeys and eventing riders have to have excellent SA to prevent injuries in their riding pursuits... or is it luck?

For all of us it can be obscured at times and we "daydream"--how often have you jerked awake while driving and realized that you don't remember the last mile (or 50 miles) of roadway? That is a good demonstration of a loss of SA. In accidents and incidents that are commonly attributed to human error, many times the person's lack of SA is a contributing or defining factor to the tragedy that follows (and chemical involvement in the form of drugs, lack of sleep, or alcohol is a common depressor of SA).

Although it is unknown in this wreck who was at fault (subscription required to view article), it is probable that some combination of lack of SA by at least one of the drivers contributed to the incident.

Situational awareness is crucial to emergency responders, and one of the ways that you can assist on an emergency scene with your horse is by giving all the needed information about the incident to the dispatcher at 911 when you first make the call for assistance. You are the "eyes and ears" for the dispatcher. For example, telling her "there has been a trailer wreck on the road" is a lot different from "I'm southbound on I-85 at the 26 mile marker, and there is an overturned horse trailer with at least 6 horses in it. One is loose." The more details you can share, the better and more efficient will be their response.

The same idea works with your veterinarian. Telling him "one of my horses is sick" is very different than "my aged mare just came back from a trail ride this morning, she has a temperature of 102 deg F, minimal gut sounds, and she isn't interested in her food this evening." Details allow the responder of any type to better be prepared to deal with the incident when they arrive.

When you get involved in a team, SA becomes even harder to achieve because it requires intense good communication of the objectives and goals, or rules of engagement, along with each member of the team achieving their responsibilities and remaining within their role on the team. Furthermore, sorting through the "noise" of incoming information and filtering for that which is relevant, and that which must be shared, is a huge challenge to overcome and maintain safety. Whether the team is a sports team, a squad of Soldiers, or a fire truck responding to a barn fire, the challenges are inherently similar.

Measuring SA is very difficult to do in a quantitative or qualitative manner - but all of us know people personally that have these characteristics - many times they don't even seem to realize it. You instinctually have SA of those around you who have that "sixth sense" or ability to predict what is going to happen. Now, go practice to make it your own skill!

Caues of Horse-Trailer Accidents on the Road

REBECCA — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 14:57:00 GMT

I presented two lectures at the ATA's international conference last week:

1. The Initial analysis of causality of over 800 horse trailer wrecks in the United States.

2. A report to the ATA membership with pictures and details of the first training event for all stakeholders at the Miami International airport (as exclusively reported on TheHorse.com at http://www.thehorse.com/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=18677&src=topic).

My ongoing trailer research (which is currently being statistically treated by a PhD student for publication) has already revealed trends in the types of U.S. horse trailer wrecks, accidents, overturns, and mishaps traveling on the road--and points to some causalities for these incidents.

This information is collected from Internet mining of trailer incidents spanning 35 years, and direct data from owners who filled out an online form at www.USRIDER.org (which is still available if you have a wreck to tell us about!). Before the 1980s, few reports of this type were put through the public news cycle unless they involved large numbers of deaths of people or horses. Since the advent of digital photography and Internet, these types of incidents are far more commonly reported and photographed, pictures give us a much better idea of what actually happened and help get the data correct.

• Date, time, location, road name and type, cause of accident, where the report came from, etc.
• Number of people, horses and vehicles involved, number of the above injured or killed, types of injuries and causes, etc.
• Type of vehicle towing and type of trailer, specifics of extrication attempts, etc.
• Whether the animal had to be treated or euthanized on scene, etc.
• Was driver charged? Drugs or alcohol involved?
• As many details as possible on road conditions, extrication methods, personnel present.

I reminded the attendees that wrecks involving significant injury or death (to people or horses) probably are reported more than those that are “routine.” Also, it is hard to follow up on reports that the animals were “miraculously” alive after the incident and extrication (to see if the animals died hours or days afterwards). This may bias the results, as may failure to get complete data on each incident.

Trends of note:

TIRE BLOWOUT / LOSS OF A WHEEL
Trailer tire blowouts on two-axle trailers cause very few wrecks compared to the numbers of blowouts that occur (single-axle horse trailers should be outlawed--no chance of recovery from loss of a tire). Tire blowouts increase the chance of causing wreck when they are combined with a tow vehicle that is not appropriate (i.e. too small for the size of the trailer) or a single axle trailer. Also, two things that seem to increase the chance of a wreck is if a steering tire on the tow vehicle blows, or if two tires on one side blow simultaneously (big road hazard, or poor quality tires such as cheap two-ply tires or retreads).

“Wheel-offs” or loss of a wheel off a dual axle trailer rarely causes a wreck to the tow combination, but may affect other vehicles on the road (and kill people in vehicles hit by the loose wheel).

POORLY MAINTAINED EQUIPMENT / LACK OF MAINTENANCE
Incorrect or nonexistent vehicle and trailer maintenance--as mentioned above, contributes to the severity of the accident. This is the single most important prevention method for trailer owners. As noted by Dr. Tomas Gimenez, “The air in your tires is not eternal, nor is the grease in your bearings or the wood on the floor.”

WRONG TOW VEHICLE FOR SIZE AND WEIGHT OF TRAILER
Some wrecks occur because of the incorrect trailer size (to small for big horse), although this is a small contribution to accidents, it is a large contributor to injuries of hauled horses. Scrambling (panic by the horse) and resulting load shift is most common in the smaller trailers. If the tow vehicle size is appropriate, this won’t jackknife the trailer, but in extreme cases this can cause a wreck.

A participant asked “Do horses kicking cause a jackknife?” Currently there is no evidence that the movement of horses in transport commonly overturns the trailer. Horses scramble a lot in trailers--this is a training issue or due to panic, fear of containment, and lack of opportunity for rear-facing position which is more comfortable to many horses. It is more possible that “movement” causes an untrained driver to brake, which exacerbates any side to side vibrations into a jackknife.

INEXPERIENCED DRIVER, ERRORS
I explained that there are no training courses for horse trailer drivers available in the United States to learn how to drive a trailer. Currently anyone (16 to 90 years of age) can buy a large truck and trailer and drive it off the dealer’s lot with just a car license. I suggest a program based on the UK horse trailer licensing program (with an inspector):

• Learning to hitch/unhitch one’s own trailer;
• Drive thru an obstacle course;
• Back up with the trailer both straight and into a crooked space;
• Perform an emergency stop with a trailer; and
• drive on both highways and interstates.

Wrecks caused by inappropriate speed or response (driver error) are approximately what you would expect from a survey of car drivers in general--there are times people just do stupid things, from texting, talking on cell phone to managing kids in the vehicle. Make sure that person is not you.

SINGLE DRIVER ACCIDENTS
A very large number of single rig accidents were noted where the driver goes off road from inattention or excessive speed for conditions, loses control, sleepiness, and alcohol involved.

DRIVER FATIGUE
Suspected to cause many accidents similar to the expectations for car drivers. The propensity for “weekend warriors” to spend their weekend doing something with their horse (show, rodeo, trailride, etc.) and attempt to drive home in the dark or alone exacerbates the chances of this occurring. Other causes may include drug and alcohol use.

FAILURE TO STOP OR YIELD
When looking at trailer combinations that were sideswiped or T-boned, where another vehicle fails to yield the right of way, or runs a stop sign, this type of wreck is often terminal or horrific injuries for the driver of the other vehicle. Trailers stand up very well to this type of impact, even if it is so hard a collision that the trailer is pushed or even rolled by the impact. The horses seem to do okay in these wrecks. Failure to stop or yield by the horse trailer driver - slamming into other vehicles while going through intersections or merging is also common.

FOLLOWING DISTANCE / REAR ENDED HORSE TRAILER BY VEHICLE BEHIND / OR REAR END THE VEHICLE IN FRONT
Many drivers do not use an appropriate following distance behind other vehicles--where the trailer driver collides with a vehicle in front of them. Some wrecks due to smaller vehicles cutting in front of the rig, others due to unsafe speed for traffic and road conditions.
This type of wreck rarely kills horses, but may kill people, particularly in the vehicle ahead. If the rig jackknifes on impact or rolls over or becomes unhitched, then horses do poorly.

This is also a problem for people in vehicles following behind the rig. There are numerous accidents caused by a truck, motorcycle or car behind the trailer slamming into the rig, in these cases the animals often get severe injuries or burns, or get loose if the trailer opens up like a tuna can.

INCORRECT HITCHING OF TRAILER
This is the most common cause of single-vehicle accidents.

The myth among some horsemen that Gooseneck type trailers have enough weight in the nose of the trailer to keep it on the truck ball even if the pin is not locked is an excuse for laziness. While it is true that a correctly hitched trailer of any type will usually stay hitched unless the impact is catastrophic, it is illegal and immoral not to correctly hitch a trailer. See www.dangeroustrailers.org for just a few of the horror stories of what happens when trailers of all types come loose…

The chains of tag-a-long bumper pull trailers (in combination with the emergency brake engaging mechanism) are very important to prevent roll-away trailers when the hitch comes off the ball.

Correction of these issues starts with:
• Standardization and use of the correct ball size;
• Maintenance; and
• Checking for correct hitching (i.e., locking the hitch, tightening the nut, reciever correctly attached to the frame of the tow vehicles, appropriate lubrication of the ball)

I noted that properly hitched trailers that survive horrific impacts from trains, head on collisions, and side collisions usually never become separated from the tow ball (even if the ball is separated from the towing vehicle.)

ALCOHOL INVOLVED
Yes, they happen. It is my speculation that a social history of alcohol use (at the fox hunt, after a winning round, at the polo club, and on a trail ride with friends) surrounding horse riding probably contributes to some of these accidents. Advocating awareness of this effect may help. Other wrecks may be based on supplementary factors.

POOR WEATHER CONDITIONS
Surprisingly,this was not the top factor in trailer accidents, although it was a contributing factor to many. Perhaps drivers avoid bad weather when driving with their horses, or slow down, or try to wait it out? We don’t know enough to understand this yet.

NOT AN APPROPRIATE TRAILER
Some of the trailers in this study were not appropriate for a horse--including animals in the back of pickup trucks, open top trailers, and homemade trailers made out of plywood or dog fencing. Obviously these are not made for the safety of the animal, nor are they able to keep the animal inside the confines of the trailer.

LIGHTING AND REFLECTIVE
In this study, the little amount or non-existent reflective warnings on the sides and rear of many trailers, contributes to accidents-- especially being rear-ended by other vehicles. Many trailers have poor lighting or non-working lights. Remember that this is one of the cheapest and easiest items to fix--buy reflective tape and put it all over your trailer so that others can see it. Then fix the trailer lights, too.

RECOMMENDED BEST PRACTICES
• Camera in the Trailer to observe animals in transport;
• Tire Pressure Monitoring devices on tow and trailer tires;
• Maximal reflective and bright colored tape on rear and sides of trailer;
• Driver training (hitching, driving habits, stopping and turning with a large trailer);
• Working brakes, lights and good quality tires, annual inspections of these and the floor, etc.;
• Minimum of two spare tires for the trailer;
• Roadside Trailering Service or complete kit of tools and safety devices to change tires; and
• Rear-facing trailer options in manufacturing.

When Tornadoes Happen to Horses

REBECCA — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 19:00:00 GMT

This past weekend a spate of tornados hit the Midwest and South, including the heart of Kentucky's horse country.

The random and differential amount of damage tornados can inflict is difficult to predict, and much of the information about the storm is not known until after it passes. Knowing exactly where tornados will strike is difficult, leaving a helpless feeling for those of us who've sat watching a developing storm. Fortunately, direct strikes by F3 + tornados are rare. But when they hit horse properties, the results are devastating.

Current Storm News

Here are a few horse-related examples of destruction caused by this latest storm:

Fifteen horses in Crittenden, Ky., perished during this intense storm. Minimal details are available at this time about whether the animals were inside the barn or loose in paddocks.
A barn filled with horses in New Liberty, Ky., collapsed on Friday.
A helicopter crew caught this bird's-eye-view video of a horse facility in Cabarrus County North Carolina. It is difficult to tell if this facility lost any horses or how many were injured, but it is a rare video that shows what the structure of a barn looks like just minutes after a tornado has torn off a roof. The people in the building are taking a sensible approach to remove all the debris so they can reach the horses, instead of attempting to lead horses out of the stalls with too many obstacles in the way.

Protect Yourself and Your Animals

No formal studies of the impact of high-wind events (hurricanes, tornados, thunderstorms) on horse barns and facilities are available, but some themes have come from studying these weather phenomena:

You will rarely have much more than minutes to react when you realize a tornado is about to strike. You and your family need to have a safe place to hide in your home, the basement of a building, or a specially built tornado shelter, preferably underground. The safety of you and your family has to take precedence over your animals.
In catastrophic high-wind events, your horses are safer outside, especially if they have access to a large pasture and a copse of trees or ravines for shelter. In lesser wind events, they might be okay inside a building, especially if it is concrete block or very heavy-duty construction. Lightweight, wood-constructed buildings might not be designed to withstand the shearing forces of wind at catastrophic velocities of 70 mph and more. The large surface area of roofs and the face of buildings make them an easy target for the wind to rip them off.
You want to minimize the chance of objects becoming flying "missiles." These items include garbage cans, loose posts, jumps, etc. This is a good thing to do no matter the weather conditions, because it reduces the obstacles on your property that horses can get injured on. Of note: In catastrophic events, wind has picked up horse trailers and flung them hundreds of yards; pickups have ended up neighboring properties; and dead horses have been found miles from where the storm vortex picked them up.

A final comment: Our hearts go out to the people this week that are grieving losses of their family members, friends, animals, and horses all over the United States from these events. Please share your time, talent, and treasure if you live close enough to directly assist them. Otherwise, donations are best made to the American Red Cross or other local disaster response efforts tasked with helping these folks.

And, of course, we want to hear your stories if you've ever experienced a tornado. Next week we will explore your comments and also talk about what you can do during the "Golden Hour" after a weather event to reduce losses and increase your animal's chances of survival.

Top 3 Mistakes Veterinarians Make During Equine Emergencies

Michelle — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 16:18:00 GMT

In my two previous posts, I discussed common mistakes made by horse owners and rescue responders during a large-animal technical rescues. This week, we talk about the veterinarian’s role in these situations. The following are three missteps veterinarians should avoid during an equine emergency.

1. Assuming that they should take the role of incident commander
Regardless of the type of emergency or disaster, all individuals and organizations involved respond under a common protocol known as the Incident Command System (ICS), and National Incident Management System (NIMS), under the National Response Plan (NRP).
The basic principles of the ICS are fully applicable to large animal incidents and include the following:

Planning: An incident action plan must be developed for every incident (simple and verbal, or complicated and written) depending on the size and length of response.
Team approach: Every responder acts as part of a team and knows his or her job.
One Coordinator: The incident commander (IC) coordinates the incident response; he/she is the leader and shoulders responsibility for the entire scene. This is normally a fire fighter or police officer who has extensive training and certifications in this area. This is what they do every day.
Span of control: One person can only coordinate the activities of five to seven responders.
Safety: Safety is the primary reason for the team approach for the victim and the rescuers.
No freelancing: Individuals responding/acting on their own constitute a risk and a liability to others on the scene. The IC has the authority to forcibly remove them from the scene.

In today’s world the equine practitioner is an emergency responder. Therefore, it is imperative for the practitioner and staff to understand and communicate using the emergency response “language” of ICS. The best online training source for the ICS is the Emergency Management Institute, under FEMA. There are different levels of ICS training that give the equine practitioner (or horse owner or volunteers) the basic qualifications to help respond in a local or national emergency/disaster of any size.

IS-100 Introduction to the Incident Command System and IS-700 National Incident Management System (NIMS), An Introduction, takes about four hours to complete online. In disaster situations, failure to possess this certification could result in dismissal from the response. In localized emergencies, it may result in failure to coordinate with the team. After taking a simple online test, anyone can receive a certificate of completion. (Other animal-related disaster content courses are available at through FEMA).

Emergency and disaster medicine are not the same thing and few veterinary schools have animal disaster response or technical emergency rescue and extrication as part of their curriculum. Happily, over the last 20 years several schools (Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, California, etc.) have made a move towards providing their students with courses such as “The Role of the Veterinarian in Incident Command” or “Disaster Preparedness” and several also offer courses and specialty TLAER or LAR, VERT, DART, or SAR team training to their students.

In this photo, the veterinarian (wearing blue) works as the animal handler. Correct positioning allows the veterinarian to evaluate medical status and advise on horse behavior, ensuring the rescuers are safe and the patient is monitored.

2. Assuming that they should participate in the operational portion of the extrication
The importance of safety should be emphasized at all times, even using long-handled tools to emplace appliances on animals that may otherwise kick, bite, or crush us. If possible, a professional animal handler such as the veterinarian, the veterinary technician, or someone with large animal handling expertise should take over the animal handling job when they arrive. They are in the perfect position to advise the operational personnel about the medical status and potential behavior or reactions of the animal, as well as approach techniques and body position.

The veterinarian or their technician should handle the animal, but in many cases should not work the ropes, put on a Swiftwater PFD, pull on an assist device, or get down and dirty in the mud for technical rescue/extrications.

As discussed in my last post, Top 4 Mistakes Responders Make During Equine Emergencies, many animal owners are far too emotional to handle the animal during an emergency. On the other hand, veterinarians have good training in remaining calm, making rational decisions, and handling the animal professionally (so they and others don’t get injured, and that the animal doesn’t get loose). Additionally, most police and fire officers don’t have any horse experience; large-animal handling skills for emergency situations are a specialty skill set. Many officers might not have had exposure or training and might underestimate the extreme weight, strength, and speed of a terrified, trapped, or injured horse.

Whether it is a single incident (e.g. a trailer overturn on the road) or a large-scale disaster (e.g. wildfire), the veterinary practitioner is one member of a group of emergency responders. In the case of a single, smaller incident, local responders will include fire fighters, law enforcement, and possibly animal control and paramedics. In the case of both small and large-scale events, it’s essential for the professional practitioner to know how to interact and work as part of the team with other emergency response individuals from county, state, federal, and private emergency-response organizations.

3. Failing to treat the horse for accidental hypothermia immediately after the rescue/extrication
Horses get trapped in the mud, fall through surface ice, or land in swimming pools. In the case of hypothermia, prioritization of the rescue effort sometimes has fatal consequences. The animal is a medical patient, too, and might need treatment during the rescue effort to offset the metabolic changes that occur.
For example, once the equine victim is removed from the hypothermia-causing environment, misunderstood efforts to restore body temperature can be counterproductive, resulting in a more severe hypothermic state. The fact that the horse will stand and eat some hay after the rescue can be interpreted as a sign that the horse is OK, but the horse may die a few hours later. Even when a team completes an efficient rescue and veterinarians do treat the animal immediately, the animal can still die.

Risk Factors attributed to the onset and severity of hypothermia*

The following are are common reasons horses suffer from hypothermia during and after a rescue:

Dehydration—Most horses suffering from acute hypothermia also suffer from dehydration.
Poor body condition—Horses in poor body condition are more susceptible to hypothermia due to a reduced layer of insulating subcutaneous fat.
Age—The ability to generate heat decreases with age in all mammals studied.
Body surface/volume (mass) ratio—The larger the body surface relative to body mass, the more core temperature will be lost across the body surface. This explains in part why donkeys and small horses (foals, ponies) are more susceptible to hypothermia than larger horses.
Drugs—General anesthetics (anesthetic-induced vasodilation) sedatives will aggravate hypothermia.
Rough handling—Rough handling of the profound hypothermic patient after the rescue can trigger ventricular fibrillation and cardiac arrest.

* From “Accidental Hypothermia in the Horse” by Tomas Gimenez, DMV, TLAER, Pendleton, S.C.

Have you been involved in one of these situations?

Please contribute your stories and reactions. How did you contribute to a good rescue of a horse? You can send photos to delphiacres@hotmail.com for later posting, and thank you for sharing.

New Year Resolutions--Prepare for Trailer and Roadside Emergencies

REBECCA — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 22:00:00 GMT

In the land of Technical Large Animal Emergency Rescue (TLAER), we try to think a little differently about our approach to daily emergencies. This year, as you're considering New Year's resolutions, I encouage you to include disaster planning for your horses.

Prepare for the Little Emergencies

Everyone talks about the last minute preparation for big disasters, such as hurricanes and wildfires – but we try to articulate that ahead of time into details. It turns out that, if you prepare for the little emergencies (blowing a tire while driving, finding a horse in the paddock with a severe laceration, realizing the gate was left open and the horses are running down the road), by having equipment and planning in place for those eventualities – then you will have the tools in place to tackle big disasters as well.

The process of consideration of these details that specifically affect you is called “all-hazards” planning and is the focus of how the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) recommends we think of our prevention and preparation for all types of disasters.

FEMA recommendations are based on solid science and excellent advice from professionals, with the agency offering good resources, relevant documents, and research related to human and animal scenarios. It even offers free online training resources, including certifications, for the public (available at http://training.fema.gov/IS/crslist.asp), including Animals in Disasters: Awareness and Preparedness, Animals in Disasters: Community Planning, and Livestock in Disasters. We consider these a prerequisite for our courses in TLAER. Please share these with your friends so that they can learn more about disaster preparedness and prevention.

One of the biggest personal New Year’s Resolutions to do right now is to update the documents in your horse trailer for emergency responders and a power of attorney. It really comes down to asking yourself one simple question: On a regular basis: “How bad could this get?” or rephrased, “What is the worst thing that could happen?” and then following up with proactively. As yourself, “Do I have a plan or resources or equipment to deal with it if the worst thing did happen?” Having these forms on hand and stocking your trailer with the tools you'd need during a roadside emergency can help.

Your trailer should be easily seen in the daytime if it's stopped on the side of the road. This trailer has plenty of reflectors to attract notice. At right is the same trailer at night. Notice only the reflectors are easy to see, and the rest of the trailer disappears into the darkness with the lights not working.

Real World Example

You trailer your two best show horses to an event 500 miles away. Half way there, you blow a tire on the trailer and are forced to pull over on the side of the Interstate. Getting out, you notice one of the truck tires on the driver side is extremely hot and bubbling on the sidewall.

The horses seem to be okay inside the trailer, but you notice that the traffic doesn’t slow down at all for you!

What would you do right now if you were in this situation? What equipment and resources do you have in your possession right now to deal safely with this situation?
A perfect result? You have:

Warning triangles and/or flares to put behind the trailer to warn oncoming traffic while you are changing the tires. (I am assuming you already have added additional reflective stickers to the back of your trailer before this situation occurred.
A reflective and bright colored vest for each person that will be working outside the vehicle.
Two jacks – a “roll on” type for the trailer and a bottle type for the towing vehicle to be able to change each tire safely.
Lumber pieces to use as chocks (to prevent the trailer from rolling).
Tire irons that fit BOTH sets of lug nuts, with a leverage bar that fits over the iron
Two spare tires with sufficient air, one for the trailer, and one for the towing vehicle.
Spray lubricant to loosen the lugs.

With these tools on hand, you move the trailer as far off the road as possible without getting stuck. (If possible – drive it to the next exit!) Call 911 to report your issue and ask them to send a police officer to warn traffic. Put on your reflective vest before getting out of the vehicle. Change the tire on the trailer first, then the truck. Do not unload the horses for any reason short of a fire inside the trailer.

An alternative solution could go like this: A wise choice for many people who don’t have these items and expertise to change the tires may instead choose to call their horse-trailering assistance company for roadside help.

Remember to keep the phone numbers and contact information for the trailering assistance company that you use inside the truck or loaded in your cell phone. (And, as a sidenote, please don’t wait until an emergency to find out that your current company will not offer to help with unloading and stabling your horses, fixing your trailer, finding a veterinarian in a strange town, overnight stabling, etc. Very few standard roadside assistance companies or towing companies will assist with the trailer and your horses, as many of us have discovered the hard way. You may want to consider one that specializes in horse trailers.)

The worst thing that could happen in this scenario? Another vehicle fails to see that you are stopped to change the tire, and slams into a person or into the back of the trailer, causing a fatality or total destruction of the towing combination and death of the animals and/or people.

This is particularly likely to happen in poor driving conditions, such as ice, snow, rain, and darkness, and is the reason professional towing companies and emergency responders use flashing lights and reflective to alert drivers of their presence.

I would like to hear your suggestions and experiences from your on-the-side-of-the-road emergencies.

Happy New Year and I hope that the new year brings good health and friendship to all of you!

Splish Splash -- Get that Horse Outta the Pool!

REBECCA — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 04:06:00 GMT

Last time, I introduced the issue of horses falling into pools in suburban backyards and mentioned a few of the concerns (especially lack of preventative fencing) that we have noted along with this disturbing trend. In the ensuing weeks since that blog posted, there have been a rash of similar incidents--with varying results for rescue of the beasts. Here is an example of a successful rescue, along with photos: http://www.cbsatlanta.com/story/16303436/firefighters-rescue-horse-from-swimming-pool

Methods for removing horses from this situation are varied, but unfortunately only a few are successful at assisting the animal, as well as keeping the human responders safe. Hay bales for a ramp rarely work (the animal's hooves go right through). In fact, pool ramps are rarely successful in rescuing swamped horses, because horses tend to slip on slick wet surfaces. Although, if you can dump five tons of dirt into the pool, that can make a great ramp (but may seriously distress the homeowner!).

First: No person should ever enter a pool with a horse until he or she has a rescue buddy present--especially if a cover (shredded that it may be) is still in or on the pool. Pool covers can have the same effect as giving a human infant a plastic bag--it can wrap around you, add weight, prevent your ability to balance and breathe, and hold you under the water. A cover can do this to the animal as well by wrapping around the legs as it struggles. Entering the pool to "calm" the horse can result in you becoming hypothermic, stepped on, or crushed against the edge of the pool. Call for assistance from the emergency responders, and then get a veterinarian en route to help with the emergency.

Second: Identify hazards (for example, slick concrete surface on the edge of the pool, pool cover, dropping of the exausted animal's head into the water, etc.) and attempt to mitigate that hazard (carpet or matting to increase their footing when removed from the pool, knives or cutting tools, inner tube or pool noodles, etc.). If you can get a halter on the horse safely (use treats to entice him to the edge and the shallow end), then attach two long leadlines and a halter for control of the head. Offer hay to the horse--it is sometimes unbelievable how many animals in curious situations will eat! Better yet, forage will allow his metabolism to warm him up from the inside and decrease the chance of hypothermia.

Third: When help arrives, discuss a plan of action--determine the safest route of egress out of the pool (up the steps at the shallow end? Forward assist up a ramp with good footing? Sideways cantilever/drag? Vertical lift?), and then the best route of egress from the pool area. You'll want to minimize the horse's exposure to slick concrete, which could cause the horse can fall and seriously injure himself.

This photo shows the TLAER team in Aiken, S.C., under the direction of Jeff Wilson, employing the sideways drag cantilever with plywood and a Rescue Glide to extricate a horse from a pool. Notice the large number of people it takes to pull the weight of a horse, and that safety is paramount for everyone.

Note: Draining the pool is the easiest way to minimize exposure issues for the animal. Plus, that limits the chance of a person drowning or becoming exposed to hypothermia. A firetruck can drain a pool in literally minutes! That will give everyone time to determine the best strategy for removal (Up the steps? Sideways cantilever or drag? Vertical lift?).

Option 1: Although horses can be taught to climb steps, this is probably not the time to start teaching him to do so! If the horse is willing and calm enough to figure that option out, provide some matting or carpet on the egress area and get out of his way so the horse has plenty of room to make the egress (often by a combination of jumping and scrambling) without slamming into a person. Do not pull on the horse's head as he is attempting to extricate himself--just gently guide the head. Encouragement from behind is a good solution for these situations to get the horse to move forward and out of the pool. Or, use of a forward assist to encourage the animal to go forward is a good method.

Option 2: Sideways drag and cantilever are the most common and easiest solution, and safest for the victim and responders. Protect the side of the pool with a tarp or heavy duty plastic such as the Rescue Glide. Stand the horse as close to the side of the pool as possible--preferably in the shallow end or where you have plenty of room open behind you to pull with ropes. Sedation may be neccessary to get the animal calm enough to stand quietly--the head can be supported with an inflated inner tube. Then two peices of wide webbing or fire hose are put under the horses' abdomen, one directly behind the front legs, and the other directly in front of the hind legs. While the animal handler protects the horse's head (a blindfold may be used just as you prepare to pull), the rest of the responders should pull in a coordinated manner to lift the horse off its feet, and roll it out of the pool. A cantilever effect can be used as well with plywood.

Option 3: Vertical lifts are more complicated but may be used in situations where there's no room for the sideways drag or cantilever. We will talk about details of this in a future blog post.

What are your experiences with pools and horses? I would like to get your feedback and stories to share. Please send photos to me at delphiacres@hotmail.com or upload them to The Horse's Facebook page.

Barn Fires--Prevention and Response

REBECCA — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 16:31:00 GMT

We have all heard it, and most of us believe it. It goes something like this: "If you leave a halter and lead rope outside your horse's stall, then a firefighter or first responder can halter him and lead him safely from the stall and out of the barn in a fire."

Who told us that myth, and where did they learn it? And why do we continue to tell others the same myth? The truth is that in most barn fires, the common theme is that by the time someone notices the fire and attempts to respond, the fire has burned out of control and quickly consumed the building. There wasn't even a chance to get the horses out. And in the meantime, it's not necessarily the flames that have killed the horses inside, it's the smoke.

As a rule of thumb, fires double in size each minute. The process follows strict rules of physics related to fuel load, ventilation, and oxygen availability. This means that usually by the time a flame is noticed, the fire department will not be able to get to the facility in time to save any people or horses trapped in the barn. In fact, numerous incidents have shown that you can expect the average barn to be fully "involved" (engulfed in flames) in the seven to 12 minutes that it takes for the fire department to be notified, respond to the location, and begin to fight the fire.

I have been working with Laurie Loveman for several years. She maintains an online database of barn fires involving animals at firesafetyinbarns.com. Her efforts and data show scores of fires involving animals. It's important to realize, though, that many fires are not reported in the news and, thus, are not reflected in her numbers. The news tends to only report incidents where large numbers of animals, or one or more people, are injured or killed. This implies that the actual number of tragic deaths of horses in fires is much higher.

We, as an industry, have "ostrich syndrome" when it comes to barn fire preparation ... we think it won't happen to us. However, a quick look at the statistics shows that this is the No. 1 nonmedical emergency that injures and kills horses. It doesn't matter if you are rich or poor, or what your education, race, or background is. What matters is this: What you have done to prevent and mitigate fire at your facility?

I asked the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), "Why are fires such a problem in horse barns?" And, believe it or not, it turns out that they have an (lengthy) answer laid out for all of us in a publication called NFPA 150: Standard on Fire AND Life Safety in Animal Housing Facilities that can be purchased online from www.NFPA.org or directly at nfpa.org/aboutthecodes/AboutTheCodes.asp?DocNum=150.

The basis of the issue is that the fire service's recommendations are wholly, or at least partially, ignored by persons building most horse facilities. Horse people tend to read barn building and design books These books go into ad nauseum detail on other aspects of barn design, but I feel they tend to avoid two crucial areas: planning for appropriate facility ventilation and planning for an optimal fire detection/alert/response method.

The DETECTION--ALERT--RESPONSE--SUPRESSION method is one that has been proven to salvage public buildings, residential homes, and private barns that are outfitted with appropriate smoke and flame detectors plugged into an alert system (usually to a security company). These buildings are prepared for immediate responses from first responders and fire departments all while a suppression strategy is initiated (automatic sprinklers are best).

We often forget how much it takes to fight a fire in a place where there are so many combustibles (hay, shavings, rubber mats, wood structures, etc.) in one place. One recent example: One recent example reminds us of just how flammable barns are.

No horses died (they were outside at the time of the fire), but this article gives you an idea of the sheer logistics involved in fighting a barn fire. The newspaper writer asked the interesting question: "So what does it take to fight a barn blaze in the countryside, miles away from any municipal water supply?" The fire department's answer: 12 hours (in August heat and humidity), more than 100 firefighters from 23 fire departments, the Red Cross, EMS, and the transportation of more than 200,000 gallons of water (about as much as you'd find in an average farm pond) to the fire site. Even if that much water was available, few horse facilities are close to fire plugs.

This fire caused an estimated $150,000 in damage to the facility and the owners lost 8,000 bales of hay.

Based on the above, we need to begin looking at the statistics, the fire science, and the complex reasons why we are rarely able to save horses trapped in stalls during barn fire conditions so that we can improve the odds of saving horses involved in barn fires.

What do you do in your facilities to prevent and mitigate these scenarios? Do you practice a barn fire evacuation? If so, please directly e-mail me a copy of your plan at delphiacres@hotmail.com and I will help you evaluate it (I call this a "sanity check"). We will highlight the best ideas next week! We will talk about the best practices that are suggested for prevention, mitigation, and design of facilities related to barn fire response for the real world.

Best Practices In Trailer Overturn Emergencies

REBECCA — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 13:37:00 GMT

In our first blog post last week, I showed you a picture of an overturned horse trailer/float with a Randy Rescue horse mannequin inside - to give you an idea of what it really would look like to view a trailer/float on its side - and to stimulate thinking about how you might manage the situation if you were there. The other reason is to explore ways to prevent this scenario, or at least make it easier to get the animal(s) out with ease and speed.

Here are a couple of examples of these types of incidents (with pictures):

Horses Survive Accident on I-540: This accident in July 2011 is very similar to the mockup that I posted last week. Notice that the trailer came loose from the towing vehicle (something that we can discuss in a future blog post) and that both horses are on their sides. Notice that the back doors are being removed - but what is that person doing standing where he can get kicked? Where is his safety gear (gloves, helmet, boots, pants)? Is a hacksaw sufficient to do the job or do you need professional tools (hydraulic cutters, reciprocating saws, etc.) to get them out? In the end both animals were extricated - but there is no mention of their injuries, whether they were sedated, etc.
Horse killed in interstate crash: This group included trained large animal responders and they successfully handled a horrific scene involving a tractor trailer, another truck, and a horse trailer with three horses in it. Note they have a safety on top of the trailer, they are forming a body wall to lead the horse from the overturn to another transport, and they have a much better plan for their operational response than the above scenario.

"Best practices" in the emergency services arena (fire, rescue, paramedic, etc.) refers to the tactics, techniques and procedures that are most highly recommended for responding to a particular incident, based on our body of knowledge and technology at the time. As a professional instructor, we bring ideas from all over the world related to a specific topic and apply them to these situations. The responder has to be able to consider many factors: Safety (for the humans and the animals), resources (people, equipment, mechanical, logistics), environment (rain, cold, heat, humidity), medical (stability of the patient, arrival time of medical treatment), and unusual situational concerns such as stability and structural integrity (e.g., is the trailer yawing out over the side of a bridge?).

For the trailer overturn scenario we posted last week - remember we assumed that 911 was called, there are no human injuries, responders have controlled the traffic and any other dangers, and rescuers may now approach the trailer with your horse in it. Here are the answers to some of our initial questions:

Running up to the trailer is a bad idea - we encourage people to approach slowly while talking to the animals and evaluating their stress and orientation by looking in a window or other opening. Horses have been known to attempt to come through openings that are too small for them, going towards the light, so don't open any doors or windows at first. An assessment should be made - are animals dead or alive? Are they tied in the trailer? Is one on top of the other? Standing or lying down? Are the stanchions/gates intact or fallen? The firefighters will be able to make better decisions based on this information. If a door is opened, it should be tied off so that it cannot slam back into place and hurt a person or an animal. Many times, gates and doors will have to be removed or cut even for standing animals to be safely extricated.
Generally, a horse tends to fight and struggle to get up if he can get up, and he will stand quietly and wait for help. Slapping or stimulating a downed horse will not help - if he can get up, he would already be up! Short trailer ties (especially ones that don't break) will guarantee that the horse cannot get up, and he will continue to struggle. Breakable halters will break, but then how do you release him from the trailer without control of the head (and no, you are not going to send someone into the trailer to halter him!) Bungee-type trailer tyes will not break, but the horse may be able to get up, and now he will be fighting the pressure from the bungee pulling his head (these should be outlawed!). Solution: Put something in the system that will break--a piece of hay string at the trailer end of the tie or Turtle Snap or Jemal engineered product is preferred--so that the horse can break loose after the incident, but he still has a halter on with a short lead rope. This makes him much easier to handle than a horse with no halter or that is tied in and must be released.
Horses are amazingly capable of surviving even catastrophic trailer wrecks - as long as they stay INSIDE the trailer. Their frantic struggling is the best reason to always use leg wraps. Every time you trailer your horse. It can be a proper Pony Club full wrap, or it can be sport boots, or it can be the velcro shipping boots. ANYTHING is better than nothing because the horse will normally survive the overturn or wreck of a trailer - it is the lower leg injuries with their complications that will usually cause the horse to be euthanized.
To help the horse extricate himself from the trailer, remove all obstacles -- the doors, gates, and all the stuff in a "removable" tack room that obstructs the exit. If you can cover the windows (which now may be holes in the floor) with a backboard or rubber mat so that the animal doesn't put a leg into them, sometimes the animal can get enough leverage to stand by himself (especially if its head is not tied.) If secondary containment can be set up around the rear of the trailer with cattle panels, tarps, parked vehicles, or even people holding hands - this will prevent a loose horse situation once he is extricated. Have another halter available to catch and control the horse (or use an emergency rope halter).
The only safe way to release a trailer tie is to do it without crawling over the horse's body or head to get to it. A seatbelt cutter or curved knife on a long pole can be used to allow responders to stay in a safe position outside the trailer. The problem with using even a serrated knife is that the push/pull motion will usually stimulate the animal to fight, and you might accidentally stab it. Keep in mind that people have had their arms broken by sticking them into trailers to handle the head.
Recumbent and trapped horses may lay quietly in these situations for a few minutes -- but that is not because they sense that you are there to help. It is because they have exhausted themselves and are waiting to get their second or third or twentieth wind to fight to stand up. They will fight until they totally exhaust themselves, then they go into shock and can die. They are far more stressed (even when not injured) than a human would be in the same situation. They aren't trying to kick and fight to hurt you; they simply have an instinct that "a down horse is a dead horse" -- so they want to get up. They can hear everything that is going on (voices, tools, vehicles, footsteps, extrication equipment) and even if they can't see outside the trailer, they can still see shadows and reflections. Try to limit loud sounds (sirens, cutting equipment) unless absolutely neccessary.

Upon arrival in the photo at right, the firefighters have discovered that the horse (a mannequin) is recumbent in the trailer, in the left compartment (which is where a person should be loading a single horse in a trailer in the U.S., as it keeps the weight on the proper camber of the road).

In the photo you can see that the ramps, windows and doors are intact, but need to be carefully considered before opening so that the horse doesn’t accidentally get out before responders are ready to manage him. In this case the horse's head is tied inside the trailer, so it must be released before extrication is attempted.

Notice that if the horse attempts to stand, its legs will go through the windows. If rubber mats, plywood, or a backboard can be slipped between the horse and the side of the trailer; his head can be cut loose; and the obstacles (gates, ramps, dividers) are removed; in many cases that animal will self-extricate from the trailer.

Have you ever had a horse in a serious trailer wreck? What caused the incident, and what was the response from others to assist? Did the horse(s) survive? Were they injured? What was the outcome and how have you prevented this from occurring since? I welcome your questions, knowledge, and comments.