In mid-October crews from the Botetourt County Sheriffs Office and the Department Fire & EMS responded to assist with the report of a horse that was stuck on the second story of a barn.
Animal Control personnel had been advised of the situation after the horse’s owner had reached out to an outside area resource (The Little Fork Volunteer Technical Large Animal Rescue Team) that was identified through social media.
Once made aware of the situation, fire and EMS personnel reported to the scene to begin assessing the situation and developing a plan of action. A local large-animal veterinarian was also brought in to ensure a safe resolution could be found for the horse.
Through a collaborative effort with career and volunteer
fire and EMS personnel, animal control, the veterinarian, the horse’s owner, and outside area resources, the horse, named Phoenix, was successfully relocated from the second story of the barn.
The effort took a great deal of technical expertise, as Phoenix required sedation in order to safely package him on a sled device for moving him. Botetourt’s team rigged an advanced ropes system for controlling the safe decent of Phoenix down the barn’s stairs.
While not that frequent, large animal rescues are a part of what Botetourt County’s Animal Control and Fire & EMS have been preparing for over the past several years. A team of four personnel were sent to train on how to handle large-animal rescues.
Since that time this group has been actively working towards ensuring that incidents of this nature are responded to accordingly and also working to secure different pieces of equipment to better prepare the team to
meet the needs they encounter in these circumstances.
The Sheriff’s Office and the Department of Fire & EMS continue to work together to provide personnel with the training and equipment needed to better handle these circumstances. In the past, neighboring agencies have assisted with responses by providing some of the more expensive equipment needed to handle these incidents. Both departments are happy to report that a means for funding has been identified for some of the remaining components to outfit the team with the harness and sled that will help compliment the personnel’s training.
