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Firefighters train for farm & large animal rescues

A Wisconsin group is training future instructors about agricultural rescues.  Pittsville, Wisconsin Fire Chief Jerry Minor tells Brownfield that along with training on machinery, silo, and large equipment incidents, firefighters are learning about large animal rescues. “Animals become entrapped in things or we have accidents on our roadways, which is a bigger way for us to get involved that involves cattle trailers, and how do we manage the incident so that the incident doesn’t manage us?”

Veterinarian Howard Ketover with Wisconsin Large Animal Emergency Response tells Brownfield fewer firefighters are from rural areas and may not know how to handle animals, putting them at greater risk. “Some of the more interesting, there’s been trailer overturns along the highway and roadways. We’ve had some slurry pits with lid coming off and cattle ending up in the slurry pit, and there’s just been even as simple as just down on the barnyard ice and they can’t get up.”

Ketover says large animals can get themselves and emergency responders into very dangerous situations.

The agricultural rescue training for instructors was held Friday and hands-on practice rescues were held Saturday at Heiman’s Holsteins west of Marshfield, Wisconsin. 

Firefighters, emergency medical technicians, and army technical rescue staff from Wisconsin, Minnesota, Missouri, and Colorado were hosted by The National Farm Medicine Center.