By Callum Ludwig
The Hoddles Creek CFA is hosting a large animal emergency rescue workshop and information session to help Upper Yarra residents in the event that the life of a large animal could be in danger.
Macclesfield Fire Brigade will be heading up to Hoddles Creek to lead the session, with their members holding expertise in large animal rescue set to host a discussion and demonstration.
Second Lieutenant at Hoddles Creek CFA Brett Kerford said that given we are surrounded by lots of large animals such as horses, cows and donkeys, it’s not unlikely a resident could come across a large animal and need to act.
“They tend to wander off or go and get a drink and get stuck in the mud and obviously can’t get themselves out, we’ve had instances where tree branches have come down and pinned a horse or it could be a car accident with a horse float and the horse has been knocked over,” he said.
“Obviously you want to able to free the horse in a safe manner to give it the best opportunity to survive and Macclesfield CFA has been trained in the best practices from both Australia and internationally to ensure the least harm is done to the animal and the least risk to the person, as they are countless cases of people with the right intentions who have been killed by being kicked or crushed while trying to rescue an animal.”
On January 17 this year, Macclesfield Fire Brigade rescued a 22-year-old Gelding named Jack from a septic tank in Belgrave South, having to bucket sewerage out before delicately lifting Jack with straps, a spreader bar and an excavator.
Mr Kerford said Macclesfield Fire Brigade will be bringing along all of their dedicated equipment to show how they perform rescues.
“They have a full-size fake horse that they use for practice and they’ll demonstrate a few different ways to help everybody have a really good understanding about how they do it,” he said.
“Many people would have no idea that they can call emergency service to come and assist, they try and do it themselves and they might be successful, but it may very well turn tragic. The purpose of this information is to give it to the community to improve the chance of a better outcome for everyone.”
Macclesfield Fire Brigade recently told Star Mail its members are called out to around 15 large animal rescues a year, being one of the two brigades in the state with the necessary equipment.
Mr Kerford said it’s great that between CFA and SES, our local volunteer crews have different skill sets to help each other out.
“It’s great we can turn to another local brigade for a certain event beyond the usual responsibilities of fires and road accidents, and helps us achieve good outcomes,” he said.
“We are very lucky in the Yarra Valley that our brigades are trained in so many different scenarios, especially as Macclesfield Fire Brigade are of only two in the state.”
Anyone is welcome to attend the session on Sunday 12 February from 10am to 12pm, with a free morning tea provided for those who RSVP. Kids will also have a chance to look over fire trucks and be involved in giveaways for attending. Anyone who is planning to attend with friends or family is asked to carpool where possible to ensure there is plenty of parking for everyone at the Hoddles Creek Fire Station, 795 Lusatia Park Road, Hoddles Creek.
