Six NSW Ambulance rescue units have taken part in a horse rescue simulation exercise held last month following an increase in the number of large animals getting themselves into trouble.
Rescue Paramedic and Special Operations Coordinator for NSW Ambulance, Dane Goodwin said horses were unconventional ‘patients’ that could weigh more than 500kg and had the potential to pose a risk to paramedics as well as themselves.
Mr Goodwin said he saw a need to implement the specific large animal training due to a growing trend where large animals were getting themselves into “sticky situations”.
“The training has been invaluable; horses, for example, can inflict an awful amount of injury if the techniques are not done right,” Mr Goodwin said.
“So, it’s beneficial for the safety of the rescuers and those large domestic animals,” he said.
“We will increasingly get tasked to do these jobs, so to have the training and the right equipment is absolutely a must to keep everyone safe.”
Mr Goodwin said the training seminars began with a theoretical component, followed by a practical component which saw paramedics conduct a mock animal rescue of a 300kg plastic horse.
He said the NSW Ambulance units based in Rutherford, Singleton, Tamworth, Cowra, Bomaderry and Wagga Wagga, were required to undergo animal rescue training as part of their General Land Rescue accreditation but the horse rescue simulation was the first time specialised training was carried out for large domestic animals.
