Animal rescue

Fire Control received a call from the distressed owner of a horse whose front legs had got caught over an internal bar on a horse box. A fire appliance from Taunton was mobilised, together with one of our Special Rescue Teams from Bridgwater. The owner had the good sense to come off the highway and called us from the car park of Sainsburys Supermarket at Hankridge Way in Taunton where she waited for our arrival. 

With these kind of incidents taking time is the key to executing the most effective and safest rescue for both the animal and our crews. The incident was brought under control at 17:16hrs after our special rescue team liaised with the incident commander and a vet to formulate a plan. The attendance of the vet was requested by the owner shortly after speaking to the Fire Service, as invariably the horse will require sedation to keep them as calm as possible. The horse was sedated at 16:55hrs allowing crews to fit animal rescue equipment and release the horse into the hands of the vet whereby an initial check was made. The horse was then conveyed to an animal hospital for a more thorough check and any subsequent treatment.