1st Horse Rescue Mannikin
Developed to Train Rescue Techniques
March 4, 2002 - How
many times have you seen a horse and rider in need of rescue and people
unsure of what to do? Would you know who to call, or what to do in a life
threatening situation to make sure they were safely rescued? The riding
season is upon us, plus horse shows and events and with millions of horses
throughout the world, it is inevitable that some of them will need to
be rescued from places like ravines, ditches, collapsed barns, overturned
trailers, riding trails, tracks, show rings, or injured in a field. Now
for the first time people can be trained how to do horse rescues using
"Lucky" the horse mannikin and a rope technique developed by
a team of rescue firefighters. "Lucky" is a new life-sized horse
mannikin used to safely learn hands-on training of emergency search and
rescue techniques. "Lucky" the horse mannikin has articulating
limbs, a tail feature as an attachment point, realistic training weight
and a height of 15 hands. It will accept standard horse harnesses, glides
and gear. "Lucky" can be used in all weather, mud, water and
is designed for training indoors or out. It is specifically designed to
train emergency search and rescue techniques to fire and police departments,
SAR units, military, government agencies, animal control, humane organizations,
veterinarians and equine groups. "Lucky " was developed because
of the effort of many people who were concerned about horses, how they
are rescued, the techniques used and available equipment.
On Saturday, March
9, 2002 there will be a rescue demonstration using Lucky" in
several situations such as extricating the horse from a ravine, getting
it on a glide and into a trailer for transport. Also it will be rescued
from an overturned trailer which simulates a vehicle accident. Invited
to attend are the emergency rescue units, firefighters, police, animal
control, military, veterinarians, equine groups and the media. Watch and
learn how the rescue team works with the horse mannikin to educate people
what to do in a life threatening emergency to save the horse and the person
that may be trapped too. The demonstration will start at 1:30 PM at the
Santa Cruz Horseman's Association at 1145 Graham Hill Road, Scotts Valley,
CA, a few miles from Felton.
Effective teamwork
is critical to a successful equine response, therefore the rescue team
performing the demonstration is from the Equine/Large Animal Rescue unit
of the Felton Volunteer Fire Department and headed by Captain John Fox.
John and Deb Fox, both firefighters, are in the process of developing
a comprehensive training manual (State Fire Marshal approved course) on
the topic of how to rescue large animals using halters, leads, ropes,
parts of hose, strapping, webbing, carabiners and pulleys used in rope
rescue operations, assorted other equipment usually found on a fire truck
and a Rescue Glide which allows them to move an animal as you would a
person on a backboard. An animal can be placed on the glide, then moved
into a trailer where it can be transported to a medical facility for treatment.
Did you know most
people call 911, or the nearest fire department for help, but not all
911 centers are set up to handle the correct routing? In Santa Cruz County,
with one call to 911, a pre-arranged agreement allows for the fire department
which can be easily mobilized and dispatched to an equine incident through
existing county COM systems and supportive services such as the local
animal control agency and a veterinarian to join the scene. Mutual aid
agreements allow departments, which take a special interest in Equine
Rescue to assist untrained departments. The existing ICS and SEMS systems
are ideal support systems which allow the fire department to take control
of the situation and acquire resources as necessary in a timely way. Teamwork
once again is the most effective tool in a successful response.
"Lucky"
is the latest product of Rescue Critters!® brand animal mannikins
and adds to the Search and Rescue mannikins which includes "Fetch
the Dog K-9 SAR" a perfect training tool for SAR, animal regulations
and police K-9 units. The concept of Rescue Critters!® brand mannikins
came from realizing that there was a lack of training mannikins to teach
people pet first aid skills, pet CPR, training devices and mannikins for
veterinary education, and for search and rescue training. Rescue Critters!,
LLC is a California based company which produces these innovative, high
quality mannikins. Examples for pet first aid and CPR are, "Jerry
K-9 CPR" and "CeePeR Dog." They also have "K-9 Critical
Care Jerry" and the cat mannikin "Critical Care Fluffy"
along with several others for advanced veterinary use. Craig Jones, President
of Rescue Critters! stated; "Our animal mannikins provide realistic
training to learn life saving techniques, practice them safely and be
prepared for emergency care until they can transport their pet to a veterinarian."
Since 1998 Rescue Critters! brand mannikins has continued to expand its
product line and are now used throughout the United States. Sales continue
to grow all over the world and you can find Rescue Critters! brand mannikins
in such countries as Japan, Australia, New Zealand, the UK, Germany, Italy,
China, and Malaysia to name only a few.
Rescue Critters! has the support of search and rescue, the veterinary
community, government, animal educators, humane organizations and the
public. With an ever expanding need for veterinary education, public needs,
military, police, fire departments, and SAR groups for quality training
equipment, Rescue Critters! brand mannikins will grow with new sciences
and fill the need for high quality animal training mannikins.
For more information
on Rescue Critters! brand animal mannikins contact Craig Jones at 818-780-7860,
visit their website at www.rescuecritters.com
and come to the horse rescue demonstration on March 9th at 1:30 PM, at
the Santa Cruz Horseman's Association at 1145 Graham Hill Road, Scotts
Valley, CA.
Contact:
Craig Jones, Rescue Critters!® - Animal Training Mannikins
Phone 818-780-7860
Friday Forsthoff, Animal Voices An Animal/Pet Marketing and PR
Firm
Phone 530-756-9242
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