LARGE ANIMAL EMERGENCY RESCUE TRAINING - SAFETY AND SUCCESS THROUGH PREVENTION, PREPAREDNESS, AND PARTNERSHIPS
Course Format Options: 2-8 Hour Audio/Visual Presentations and 24-Hour Audio / Visual and Interactive Training Courses
Students: Hands-On Participants and Observers (Emergency Responders, Veterinary Professionals, Animal Control and Wildlife Officers, Humane Welfare and Rescue Organizations, Equine and Livestock Owners, etc.)
Topics Covered:
Topics will include but not limited to... Animal Behavior (large animal and companion animal), Safety Considerations, Handling and Restraint (large animal and companion animal), Containment, Entrapments, Motor Vehicle Accidents and Overturned Trailers, Barn and Wildfires, Unstable Ground (mud, trench, ice, etc.) Incidents, Water Rescues, Natural Disaster Preparation and Response, Hazardous Materials Decontamination, etc. Course content will consist of audiovisual lectures, demonstrations, and hands-on practical exercises. Currently, this is not a recognized certification course per NFPA or AVMA standards, however portions of this course coincide with aspects of the NFPA standards 1670, 150, 1006, 1952, and 1983. *NFPA 1670 (Animal Technical Rescue for Awareness, Operations, and Technician Levels) - NFPA 150 (Fire and Life Safety in Animal Housing Facilities) - NFPA 1006 (Technical Rescue Personnel Professional Qualifications) – NFPA 1952 (Surface Water Operations and Protective Clothing and Equipment) – NFPA 1983 (Life Safety Rope and Equipment for Emergency Services)* and FEMA Resource Typing for Animal Rescue Technicians and Teams.
Animal emergencies are known for becoming human emergencies, especially if emergency responders or veterinary professionals are unable to respond or unable to affect a rescue due to lack of proper equipment or training. Once an emotional owner, “Good Samaritan”, or “social media responder” with little to no training attempt a rescue, they often unintentionally become a victim requiring assistance from emergency services and further compromising the animal even further by delaying its rescue. Either way, the animal will need to be rescued… the question that remains is “Are you or the agency, organization, business, or department prepared to handle the rescue operation safely, efficiently, and successfully?” This course will provide an educational and interactive approach to basic on-hand and specialized equipment, simple to complex techniques, and safety considerations to prepare the individual rescuer for the unexpected, therefore increasing the chances of a successful outcome and decreasing the risk of iatrogenic injury or death of the animal victim, rescuers, or bystanders.
This course is essential for any emergency services responder, veterinary professional, animal control officer, emergency management agency, equine or livestock owner or industry professional, animal welfare organization, zoo or exotic animal park staff, or anyone with a vested interest and interaction with large animals. Even if you have attended a Large Animal Technical Rescue course in the past, we highly recommend attending another course to stay current with the most recent updates to applicable standards and protocols, advancements to equipment due to ongoing research and development, and changes to techniques used to make the rescue operation safer, quicker, and easier overall lessening the risk of iatrogenic injury or death to the animal or human rescuer. Everyone either resides or travels where large animals of various types are located, where livestock trailers share the roadways, where equine and livestock farms and facilities are located, where there is potential for natural disasters to cause incidents involving large animals, and so on. Although the focus of this training course is on large animal rescue operations, it also includes aspects of companion animal (dog and cat) rescue in accordance with the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standards and FEMA Resource Typing for emergency response teams. If this describes you or an agency, organization, business, or department that you are associated with, then you shouldn’t miss out on this valuable training opportunity.
We highly recommend that the course attendants be a mixture of fire/rescue personnel, veterinary professionals, and animal control officers as those are the people who will most likely be involved as a “team” on a large animal related incident. There is no better time than training to network and learn to work together as a cohesive team. There will be times when the fire/rescue side of a rescue operation may negate something that the veterinarian or animal control wants to do due to safety concerns, but there are also times when the veterinarian will need to safely access a part of the animal to sedate or anesthetize to make it safer for the responders to perform the rescue. The efficiency, timing, and physical performance of tasks all play a crucial role in a successful rescue operation.
The most fun I have had in a class (Large Animal Technical Rescue 3-Day Operations Level course) in years! Thanks to all involved for a great class!!!
J Gash, Firefighter/ Technical Rescue
Tori and Justin led a fabulous Large Animal Technical Rescue course detailing many of the complex scenarios professionals and laymen alike may confront. The course was informative, hands on, and a wonderful way for horse owners and emergency personnel to learn to work together in the event of an emergency.
Stephanie Freese, DVM
Polaris Equine Mobile Vet Clinic
Pittsboro, North Carolina
I so enjoyed participating in the Large Animal Technical Rescue Course taught by Tori and Justin McLeod. The hands on learning allowed me to practice skills which would be otherwise impossible. Although we only own a hobby farm, I learned so many techniques that make me better prepared for an emergency all while having fun!
L Yarbrough
In April of 2017, 4Hooves Large Animal Services came and delivered their 3 day large animal rescue class to us. With this area having a large equine community, this class provided a lot of valuable information and skills to help us mitigate any incident involving large animals. Justin and Tori, have a wealth of knowledge to share and they have a great love of animals and it shows through their training class. They were wonderful to work with in setting up the class, letting me know what type of facility they would need, any equipment we might be able to provide and what we could expect to get from the class. I would highly recommend them to anyone and have done so to other departments. I hope to be able to bring them back to the area again to provide another class for more First Responders.
Captain Reuben Cowles
Albemarle County Fire and Rescue
Charlottesville, Virginia
I have known Tori and Justin McLeod of 4Hooves Large Animal Services for a number of years through my work as an equine veterinarian in Virginia...Because of my interest in Large Animal Technical Rescue, I attended their course in South Boston, VA. The course exceeded my expectations. It was well planned, and the information was practical and presented in an easy to understand format for the varied audience. The hands-on portion was phenomenal and instrumental in fully understanding the material presented. I have since used a lot of the things I learned in that course during my job as a veterinarian. After participating in the course, I knew I wanted to coordinate a course in my local area. Working with Tori and Justin to get the course organized was a breeze. They were prompt in answering my millions of questions and worked exceptionally well with the facility where we hosted the course. Our course had extremely varied participants including veterinarians, rescue personnel, horse owners, animal control officers and veterinary technicians. Tori and Justin were able to quickly and effectively get this diverse group on the same page. The hands-on portion was definitely the highlight and all the participants had wonderful things to say about the course. Tori and Justin are extremely knowledgeable and passionate about Large Animal Technical Rescue and that comes across clearly when they teach. I recommend them frequently to clients who are in need of end of life services or equine transport, and would recommend them to anyone looking to participate in or host a Large Animal Technical Rescue course.
Cathy Lombardi, DVM CVA
The Oaks Equine and Farm Services
Smithfield, VA
Was an awesome experience. Highly recommend this course (Large Animal Technical Rescue 3-Day Operations Level course) to all emergency services departments. Looking forward to the next chance to train and learn.
E Wood, Firefighter
At the end of 2019 I had the opportunity to stay one month in United States meeting several good professionals and teams that work with Technical Large Animal Rescue. I did a huge tour to learn and train with these folks and I have to thank some special people that helped me a lot to schedule and execute all my “work-trip”. For sure one of the most important was Justin and Tori, with 4Hooves Large Animal Services, that gave me several opportunities (training and real cases) and taught me a lot about Large Animal Rescue and other basic and advanced concepts in this area. They are very dedicated and determined to always do a good job based on right concepts, correct equipment, and working with excellence. It’s impressive all the resources that this team has (knowledge, many skill, members, general and specific equipment, response trucks and trailers, etc). I had the opportunity to do a three-day Large Animal Technical Rescue class with them, it was simply fantastic! All the instructors are very vested in their instruction and the education of others and give you the best of their knowledge and experience and are observant with the “hands-on” of each student during the practical activities. They provide for each one of the courses the chance to “try” Large Animal Rescue equipment and techniques in different dynamics and scenarios in both the theory and practice. For me they are one of the most important references and resources in Large Animal Rescue that I brought with me to my home in Brazil to provide rescue services here and I’ll always be inspired by their work! Thank you so much all the 4Hooves Team… For me you are “The Problem Solvers!”
Dr. Leonardo Maggio de Castro – Assistant Professor of Large Animal Surgery
Sorocaba University - University Veterinary Hospital of Large Animals
Sao Paulo State, Brazil