The Chief Fire Officers’ Association The professional voice of the UK fire and rescue service John Bonney CFOA Animal Rescue Understanding and Dealing with the Risks

The Chief Fire Officers’ Association The professional voice of the UK fire and rescue service Traditionally…… Animal Rescues regarded as a ‘soft’ special service No formal knowledge or training Corporate liability only protected by many RDS FF’s having livestock experience

The Chief Fire Officers’ Association The professional voice of the UK fire and rescue service Hampshire since 1997 have…… Recognised this is one of the most dangerous incident types Developed training and provided dedicated equipment Utilised Animal Rescue Specialist Officers effectively since 2004 Reduced corporate and public risk significantly

The Chief Fire Officers’ Association The professional voice of the UK fire and rescue service Hampshire's Large Animal Response Category 1: Animal Rescue with human life risk PDA =Animal Rescue Specialist, AR Team, local appliance, Senior Manager Category 2: No humans or animals at immediate risk PDA = Animal Rescue Specialist to assess and request resources as necessary Category 3: Farm fires, RTC’s, flooding and any other incidents involving animals PDA = Incident type PDA and Animal Rescue Specialist

The Chief Fire Officers’ Association The professional voice of the UK fire and rescue service Small Animal Partnership Animal Rescue Specialists are equipped and trained to deal with small animal incidents and do this in conjunction with the RSPCA. This partnership saves HFRS annually around: 250 Senior Manager hours 450 W/T firefighter hours 260 RDS firefighter hours Approx £10,000 per year Risk of £5000 fines (Badgers Act)

The Chief Fire Officers’ Association The professional voice of the UK fire and rescue service

The Chief Fire Officers’ Association The professional voice of the UK fire and rescue service

The Chief Fire Officers’ Association The professional voice of the UK fire and rescue service

The Chief Fire Officers’ Association The professional voice of the UK fire and rescue service

The Chief Fire Officers’ Association The professional voice of the UK fire and rescue service

The Chief Fire Officers’ Association The professional voice of the UK fire and rescue service

The Chief Fire Officers’ Association The professional voice of the UK fire and rescue service Recent Developments

The Chief Fire Officers’ Association The professional voice of the UK fire and rescue service What is the criteria for an effective Animal Rescue Team? 10% equipment 90% knowledge of animal psychology and behavioural characteristics, plus Specialists with agricultural backgrounds who understand livestock and can relate to their owners

The Chief Fire Officers’ Association The professional voice of the UK fire and rescue service The Horse Owner May treat a horse as their child or baby Often act irrationally Put themselves at great risk Try to interfere and direct Firefighters to perform dangerous practices Feelings of guilt, fear and anger are common

The Chief Fire Officers’ Association The professional voice of the UK fire and rescue service The Veterinarian Many believe they are responsible for H&S at an animal incident Most have no formal animal rescue knowledge or experience Many have no knowledge of F&RS systems of work or PPE required to work in the inner cordon However, their presence is crucial to facilitate medical diagnosis and sedation/euthanasia

The Chief Fire Officers’ Association The professional voice of the UK fire and rescue service Psychology of Prey Animals Flight or Flight and Herd mentality This is the worst day of their lives Fear is their main emotion Our arrival on scene is not calming to a prey animal!

The Chief Fire Officers’ Association The professional voice of the UK fire and rescue service Animal Rescue Specialists All have agricultural backgrounds Instinctive knowledge of large animal psychology Attend all Animal Rescues Liaise with owners, Vets, RSPCA, other agencies and advise Incident Commander Facilitate animal rescue and awareness training

The Chief Fire Officers’ Association The professional voice of the UK fire and rescue service Improving the Service Awareness training given to all HFRS personnel by AR Specialists Mannequin horse and new equipment allows realistic training for AR Teams Building relationships with Vets and other agencies inc Training Students Awareness presentations for the public Emergency Services Protocol

The Chief Fire Officers’ Association The professional voice of the UK fire and rescue service Identified next steps 1.Too many personnel currently expected to attend rescues as AR Team 2.Smaller, specialist teams required to maintain competency and efficiency 3.Improved education and PPE for Vets and NGO’s working in the inner cordon

The Chief Fire Officers’ Association The professional voice of the UK fire and rescue service 4.Better planning for farm livestock evacuation and RTC’s involving animals 5.Preparedness for DWA’s in transit 6.Assisting other F&RS to prepare for animal rescues in line with new protocol document 7.Development of our Rural Safety Teams