Friday 9th October 2009By Paula Roberts
IT’S not just cats stuck up trees that Dorset Firefighters are called to deal with. Their other grateful clients have included Dipsy the pony who found herself shoulder-deep in mud and a little fawn that had fallen into a 15-ft hole.
Between April 2008 and March this year, the service attended 53 animal rescues in the county including 11 birds, 10 cats, 10 dogs, three deer, 11 horse and ponies, four cows and one squirrel.
To deal with the larger animal rescues, Dorset Fire and Rescue Service has a crew based at Poole fire station who are specially trained in animal handling.
The crews carry a wide selection of equipment, including a specialist lifting system, and have drysuits for messier rescues.
Keith Barnes, district commander for Poole and Hamworthy, said: "They have the equipment and the training about how to handle and deal with the animals.
“Quite often we come across cows stuck in slurry pits and the crews have to enter in their drysuits to put the harness onto the animal before we can pull it out. It’s a combination of skills sets and equipment.”
Aside from cow, horse and pony rescues the service is also asked to help rescue birds, cats and dogs by the RSPCA.
The service is also acutely aware that when people’s pets are trapped or in danger, some owners will put themselves at risk in a bid to save their animal.
Mr Barnes said: “People are very close to their animals and they treat them as a member of their family. They can get highly emotional and can end up putting themselves in compromising positions. That’s why we attend these type of rescues.”
He added: “We always go into an incident in a professional manner but we always come away pleased if we can save the animal.
“It means a lot to the owners and for farmers it can be quite costly for them to lose livestock.”
But not every rescue has a happy ending, Mr Barnes said.“We recently rescued a foal from a river and tried to resuscitate it but without any luck. The crews were really upset they couldn’t save it.”
The time spent on the rescues in 2008/09 totalled 54 hours and cost around £6,200, according to figures released under the Freedom of Information Act.
http://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/4673899.A_fawn_in_a_septic_tank__cows_stuck_in_slurry____all_in_a_day___s_work_for_Dorset_firefighters/
(Submitted by Mark North)
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