A livestock transportation accident isn’t a scenario that anyone likes to envision, but if such a case did happen, a new program in Alberta will help look after the welfare of animals. Injured and frightened animals can jeopardize the health and safety of first responders and the public – not to mention the animals themselves. Announced in Ponoka, Alberta on November 30, 2012 by the Alberta Farm Animal Care (AFAC) group, the Livestock Emergency Response Trailer program is being deployed in key areas of the province.
“It is easy to imagine a scenario where a livestock trailer has flipped. You have some livestock standing, some badly hurt, and you need to get the animals out of the trailer. First responders need the tools to be able to deal with those animals,” explains Floyd Mullaney, project co-ordinator for AFAC.
Mullaney explains that the ER trailers are not a livestock ambulance on wheels. Rather the ER trailers contain equipment and tools to help free and corral livestock at an accident scene or other emergency where livestock may aid. The trailers contain corral panels, generators, saws, plywood and snow fencing to help manage livestock.
The livestock ER project has its roots in several community initiatives over the past several years. The Red Deer County developed their own ER trailer, which was funded by a charitable donation. Ponoka County also developed their own ER trailer, funded by ratepayers. The Town of Hana and Special Areas were able to purchase their own ER trailer through a donation by the local Crime Watch committee. The County of Leduc was also developing their own ER trailer through support from the Equine Foundation of Canada.
Mullaney says these initiatives were getting the attention of other municipalities, and the Alberta Farmed Animal Health and Welfare Strategy Steering Committee saw the benefit in standardizing ER trailers throughout the province. A sub-committee including representatives from the Alberta Equestrian Federation, the Alberta Beef Producers, Livestock Identification Services, RCMP, Alberta Farm Animal Care (AFAC) and Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development created the initial project plan. Funding support was provided through the federal/provincial/territorial Growing Forward initiative.
The project was initially planned with two, $75,000 trailers to cover all of Alberta. Once Mullaney was hired on to develop the project, he consulted with Counties and first responders to determine their needs. The result was the program announced in Ponoka. Five trailers costing $22,000 each was developed and equipped for deployment in Alberta. The areas of deployment focused on key livestock transportation areas:
• MD of Willowcreek – Claresholm;
• Cypress County – Medicine Hat;
• Westlock County – Westlock;
• Vermilion River County – Vermilion; and
• the Alberta Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), which will deploy an Alberta-wide roaming unit.
“The ER trailers are consistent in look with other first responder vehicles, with similar colors and lighting. It was important that they look like first responder vehicles so the public can identify them,” says Mullaney.
First responder training program at Vermilion College
A key part of the program is the development of a course that will be delivered by Lakeland College through the college’s Emergency Training Centre at Vermilion, Alberta. Mullaney explains that the ‘Livestock Handling Equipment Trailer Training Course’ was developed because not all first responders have experience handling animals.
“Consulting with first responders, they told us that getting training in the handling of livestock under emergency situations was very important to the welfare of the animals, and the safety of the first responders,” says Mullaney. “Lakeland College was the natural location for the course to be developed and delivered because they already train first responders at the Emergency Training Centre. As an agriculture college, Lakeland also has livestock and facilities work with during training.”
The first training course ran Feb 16 and 17, 2013, with a second scheduled for Mar 23 and 24. The project is paying for the tuition and lodging of participants.
Built into the project is a Standard Operating Guideline (SOG) document. This guides first responders in the use of the ER trailers, and also provides contacts of area specialists when additional help is needed. For example, if livestock need to be euthanized, that scenario is covered in the SOG, and responsibility falls to the Alberta Veterinary Medical Association, who is setting up the Animal Welfare Vet Emergency Response Team, with participating veterinarians located throughout the province.
“The project addresses the issue that first responders don’t normally have training or resources to deal with livestock accidents,” says Mullaney. “The Counties and first responders are very pleased with how the program has developed.”
“The health and welfare of animals is always one of our top priorities,” says Verlyn Olson, Minister of Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development. “We are very pleased to partner with AFAC. These new resources will strengthen our capacity to respond to accidents or challenges involving livestock and will support the safety and well-being of both people and animals on our farms and roadways.”
Contact:
Floyd Mullaney
Ph: 403 505-4407
Email: [email protected]
Lorna Baird, AFAC Executive Director
Phone: 403-662-8050
Email: [email protected]
Websites:
www.afac.ab.ca
www.growingforward.alberta.ca
http://www.albertaspca.org/