Equine Rescue Training Equips Firefighters With Skills to Protect Area Horse Farms
Firefighter/paramedic Josh Roddy leads a horse from the stable during equine rescue training at Shamrock Farms.
Horse handler Jane Clement, of Barrington Hills, teaches firefighter/paramedic Lark Sanders proper haltering techniques.
Specialized equine rescue training completed by Barrington firefighters helped "breed" familiarity between horse and firefighter, and practice skills needed to protect the large number of horse farms within the Barrington Countryside Fire Protection District, Deputy Fire Chief John Feit reports.
The training sessions, which took place at Barrington’s Shamrock Farms, helped firefighters – some of whom had never seen a horse up close – become familiar with the animals. They were organized by the Hooved Animal Rescue and Protection Society (HARPS), a Barrington-based nonprofit that helps abused and neglected horses.
"The training helped our firefighters become more comfortable working with these large, powerful farm animals," Deputy Chief Feit explains. "That experience will be very valuable during a barn fire or other type of equine emergency. The skills they gained are essential to ensuring the safety of the horses, District residents, and firefighters."
HARPS instructors worked one-on-one with fire department personnel to maximize hands-on learning. Firefighters learned proper techniques for haltering horses, leading them from the barn, and loading them into trailers. The training also focused on ways to respond to panic-stricken horses.
"A frightened horse may be unwilling to leave its stall during a barn fire," explains HARPS trainer Ronda Ewing. "Firefighters learned ways to calm the animal and get them out of harm’s way."
Ewing says this type of training is crucial, considering the BCFPD’s large equine community.
"Firefighters’ ability to interact with the horses and lead them from danger is essential to the animals’ protection," she adds.