{"id":20153,"date":"2023-11-03T12:35:29","date_gmt":"2023-11-03T16:35:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/qa.vet.purdue.edu\/news\/?p=20153"},"modified":"2023-11-03T15:03:56","modified_gmt":"2023-11-03T19:03:56","slug":"purdue-veterinary-professionals-and-firefighters-train-jointly-to-increase-preparedness-for-equine-emergencies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vet.purdue.edu\/news\/purdue-veterinary-professionals-and-firefighters-train-jointly-to-increase-preparedness-for-equine-emergencies.php","title":{"rendered":"Purdue Veterinary Professionals and Firefighters Train Jointly to Increase Preparedness for Equine Emergencies"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"Firefighters
Purdue firefighters lead the way as TLAER participants learned best practices for rescuing animals from a burning barn. (Photo by Victoria Deno)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Picture a large animal trailer overturned or stuck in the mud, with animals trapped inside. Imagine that you are responsible to rescue them. That is a daunting proposition, but it is something that veterinary professionals and fire department rescue personnel have to be ready to deal with on any day and at a moment\u2019s notice. Technical Large Animal Emergency Rescue (TLAER) addresses large animal emergency situations by training people how to safely help and extract the animals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That is why a joint TLAER training exercise involving the Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine and Purdue University Fire Department (PUFD) was regarded as exceptional and invaluable by the 35 participants. The three-day program in August featured hands-on exercises that took place at the Veterinary Farm on South River Road, with additional classroom sessions and a horse-caught-in-a-manhole simulation at the Physical Facilities Service Building on Ahlers Drive. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Organized through a partnership between Purdue\u2019s Administrative Operations (AO) and College of Veterinary Medicine (PVM), the program utilized a horse mannequin that was placed in disaster settings, enabling the veterinary medical and PUFD personnel to learn techniques for keeping animals and themselves safe during emergency rescues, such as a horse caught in a burning barn, trapped in an overturned trailer, or caught by the leg in a broken wooden bridge deck. The simulations marked the first time Purdue has hosted this type of training. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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\"Firefighters
A key part of the training included giving veterinary professionals a chance to actually use real fire rescue tools to simulate procedures used to safely remove animals from an overturned horse trailer.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Participants
TLAER training participants got hands-on instruction on how to right an overturned horse trailer after AO personnel safely tipped the unused old trailer on its side for the simulation.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Personnel from PUFD and the Morgantown Volunteer Fire Department joined with PVM clinicians, staff, and students to participate in the training. The PVM attendees represented the college\u2019s Equine and Farm Animal Hospitals as well as Bovine Field Services, Anesthesia and Diagnostic Imaging, and the Caesars Entertainment Equine Specialty Hospital in Shelbyville. They included veterinarians and veterinary nurses, residents, interns, and DVM students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Robin Ridgway, director of Environmental Health and Safety Compliance, part of the AO organization, was instrumental in developing the partnership that brought TLAER to Purdue. Ridgway co-authored a publication on horse trailer safety<\/a> for Purdue Extension. This co-authorship led the Morgantown Fire Department and the Purdue University Veterinary Hospital to Ridgway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTo me as a horse owner, it made a lot of sense to have a partnership between the veterinary college and our fire department, not only for managing potential issues in our own hospital that serves the community, but also for possible emergencies in the areas surrounding Purdue,\u201d said Ridgway.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Participants
Utilizing a horse mannequin, Dr. Rebecca Husted (foreground, right), TLAER educator, instructs training participants about safely extracting a horse caught in a manhole.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The College of Veterinary Medicine funded the training and invited PUFD to participate. \u201cThis training is invaluable for our veterinary hospital staff. It helps us to provide safer care for our patients as well as a safer environment for our team,\u201d said Amy Balser, Veterinary Hospital clinical services coordinator and interim large animal nursing supervisor. \u201cIt created a stronger working relationship between the large animal services in the hospital and fire department that will be critical in safely maneuvering injured animals that arrive at the hospital.\u201d  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Purdue Fire Chief Brad Anderson was eager to have PUFD participate in the training. \u201cPurdue is unique, having its own fire department,\u201d Chief Anderson said. \u201cIn addition to providing fire and emergency medical services to the Purdue West Lafayette campus, we continually look for opportunities to collaborate with groups across campus. TLAER was a great opportunity to partner with Purdue Veterinary Medicine and support a new opportunity for veterinary students. It also allows us to provide a new service to the community. Fire department staff are trained, equipped, and experienced in a variety of technical rescue disciplines including rope rescue, confined space, and vehicle extrication.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As part of AO and someone who is familiar with university organizations and facilities, Ridgway was happy to take on the role of training coordinator, working with Waterworks, Grounds, and other departments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Balser said her first exposure to this kind of training was several years ago when she attended a similar session while working as a zookeeper at the Kansas City Zoo. \u201cI have seen how that training enabled me to work more safely and train others to do so as well.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The training at Purdue was led by Dr. Rebecca (Gimenez) Husted, who is an educator, facilitator, and consultant for TLAER. She has a long history of providing this kind of training and was involved in writing and editing the first textbook on this subject. She has conducted training worldwide, in more than ten countries and across the United States.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIncident command, teamwork, leadership, and followership are the skills that allow better employment of the techniques and methodologies we teach, while ensuring that the equipment is utilized correctly,\u201d Dr. Husted said. \u201cWithout the former, having the latter does not do a thing. Once you see it, you can\u2019t unsee it, and in general once people \u2018get it\u2019 they really GET IT and can apply the concepts to any situation. The joint participation of the veterinary medical staff and students with the fire department allows each organization to bring their expertise and skills to a real event and by knowing each other as well as each one\u2019s strengths and weaknesses, they are able to leverage the resources and knowledge to make responses more efficient and more successful.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Participants
Another serious mishap simulated with the horse mannequin gave the participants experience working together to safely rescue a horse stuck in mud. (Photo by Victoria Deno)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Balser said she reached out to Dr. Husted three years ago to initiate discussion of the training. Ridgeway connected Chief Anderson, firefighter Corey Matricia, and Balser early in 2023 because the PUFD was interested in attaining the training and partnering with the Veterinary Hospital to work toward establishment of a local team to respond to these kinds of large animal emergencies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn my courses, I tell the fire department that they simply must have veterinary expertise available and preferred on scene,\u201d Dr. Husted said. \u201cAnd I tell veterinarians that they really need to consider having the fire department on scene sooner than later because their job is a puzzle solving job.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the case of an animal rescue, PUFD personnel can provide the technical rescue expertise, scene management capability, and emergency medical services, complimenting the skill and ability of the campus veterinary staff. PUFD serves as a liaison between other agencies to safely facilitate animal rescue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reflecting on the training, Chief Anderson said, \u201cTLAER was an excellent opportunity for both Purdue Veterinary Medicine and the fire department to practice and develop those skills. I am excited to see this program develop over the next several years. This program demonstrates how collaboration can benefit multiple departments, Purdue students, our community, and beyond.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Balser said the response from the Veterinary Hospital team that attended was amazingly positive. \u201cThey immediately began identifying elements in the Veterinary Hospital\u2019s existing large animal procedures and protocols that could be enhanced by incorporating techniques learned at the training to increase our team and patient safety.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PUFD, Environmental Health and Safety Compliance, Waterworks, and Grounds are all a part of the Administrative Operations organization. The organization supports the university by providing safe, reliable, and transformative services. Coordinating training efforts and providing professional and safety development opportunities are just a couple of the ways the organization helps power Purdue.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Participants
Purdue firefighters and veterinary clinicians, veterinary nurses, and students filled the 35 available spots in the TLAER training sessions conducted in August.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Picture a large animal trailer overturned or stuck in the mud, with animals trapped inside. Imagine that you are responsible to rescue them. That is a daunting proposition, but it is something that veterinary professionals and fire department rescue personnel have to be ready to deal with on any day and at a moment\u2019s notice. Technical Large Animal Emergency Rescue (TLAER) addresses large animal emergency situations by training people how to safely help and extract the animals.<\/p>\n

That is why a joint TLAER training exercise involving the Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine and Purdue University Fire Department was regarded as exceptional and invaluable by the 35 participants. The three-day program in August featured hands-on exercises that took place at the Veterinary Farm on South River Road, with additional classroom sessions and a horse-caught-in-a-manhole simulation at the Physical Facilities Service Building on Ahlers Drive.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":20157,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[31,27],"tags":[2212,56,25,1556],"class_list":["post-20153","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hospitals","category-services","tag-emergency-services","tag-homepage","tag-top-story","tag-veterinary-hospital"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vet.purdue.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20153","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vet.purdue.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vet.purdue.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vet.purdue.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vet.purdue.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20153"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/vet.purdue.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20153\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20240,"href":"https:\/\/vet.purdue.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20153\/revisions\/20240"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vet.purdue.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20157"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vet.purdue.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20153"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vet.purdue.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20153"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vet.purdue.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20153"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}