TECHNICAL LARGE ANIMAL EMERGENCY

"Helping Hands, Helping Hearts"
by Equine Artist
David Pavlak
Prints are available in both Signed and Unsigned Editions

Proceeds from the sale of these prints will be donated to the Large Animal Rescue Endowment Fund at Eastern Kentucky University (EKU)

For details contact US Rider

TECHNICAL LARGE ANIMAL EMERGENCY RESCUE

The principles behind using slings and ropes for animal transport are not new, as shown in the National Geographic photograph below, Circa 1921. Although this farmer did not have access to a boat – he knew the water was too dangerous to cross for his donkey. In many countries, a large animal represents a huge investment and someone’s livelihood.

Throughout the whole region ... bridges are few and primitive,' wrote A.L. Shelton, author of 'Life Among the People of Eastern Tibet,' from the September 1921 National Geographic. This image of a precarious Mekong River crossing was first published in that issue. 'With his mount securely trussed to the rope bridge,' says the photo's caption, 'the owner supplies his own motive power, hand over hand, as he pulls himself and beast across the chasm with the river far below.'"

—From National Geographic "Flashback," April 2002, National Geographic magazine

What is TLAER?

Technical Large Animal Emergency Rescue Training offers training nationwide for emergency response services, such as fire departments, rescue squads, law enforcement agencies, emergency management, county and state emergency response teams and animal control offices. The course is also structured to educate those who are not a member of a branch of emergency services, such as veterinarians, large animal facility operators, animal rescue organizations, large animal transporters, and large animal owners. This course is designed with concentration on livestock being the most encountered large animal at an emergency incident, however the term “large animal” has come to define livestock, exotic animals, zoo animals, and a multitude of other possibilities. In a TLAER incident… always “Expect the Unexpected”!

TLAER as a "Specialty Form of Rescue" is a new idea. And this does NOT refer to “rescue” of neglected, starving or abused animals – although many of the techniques may be utilized on those types of scenes (insert a link to the story of Aerial here – remind me to send it!) However, it is not a new form of incident, there are stacks of videos, personal accounts by veterinarians and firefighters, newspaper articles that have been collected by the instructors that testify to the commonality of these types of rescues.

What does TLAER require that makes it different? Large animals are different – they do not follow rules of physics or chemistry – but fight or flight under fear and stress. Innovation is often required by rescuers as every incident will be different than the last one you attended. Prevention and Education is a huge theme of the courses because as animal owners and stakeholders learn to prevent the common types of incidents, focus can be shifted to the unusual and highly technical ones.

Over the last two decades, as the occurrence of large animal incidents became more common, branches of emergency services have begun to respond as the public has adopted a "911 call does it all" mentality. With the increase in the number of incidents involving large animals, the need for specialized training in the field of TLAER was exposed and more people, both related and unrelated to emergency services, expressed a need for AWARENESS and OPERATIONAL training in this specialty. Technician level training is currently under development in coordination with other training resources.

What the TLAER training course does is bring together (in two to four days, depending on the training course level), all of the latest concepts, techniques, procedures and equipment being used today. With ongoing research and development, practical applications, and improvements suggested by highly qualified students, the courses are updated constantly which allows for the utilization of the most current methods and equipment for each course that is taught.

What is the goal of TLAER?

The goal of TLAER is to improve the standard of care for large animal victims while improving the safety margin for well meaning emergency responders. Prioritization of rescue methods emphasizes using simple techniques and tools instead of highly technical equipment where possible, and the philosophy of the training is to underscore the Fire Service’s Incident Command System training and operations at all times, as well as their tiered training levels: Awareness, Operational, and Technician.

Where is TLAER?

In several locations in the US there are specific TLAER trained response teams that are on call out to these types of scenarios. Each squad or organization has their own response protocols, equipment cache, and policies. These departments, organizations, and teams have invested in some of the specialized TLAER equipment necessary to more easily perform these rescues. They have in some cases developed and normally follow TLAER Standard Operating Procedures/ Guidelines learned during the course when responding to large animal incidents. Many of them have discovered that their TLAER equipment is useful for moving extremely large HUMAN patients, too!

TLAER teams can be operated privately, through emergency management services, through rescue organizations, or other entities; with understanding that the members attached to the responding agency or organization have been certified through TLAER and have had the other mandatory certifications required to perform a large animal rescue and must not act outside their certification or scope of practice. Some of the TLAER teams can be found on the "LINKS" page of this website. If you can not locate a TLAER team in your area, please contact us or speak with your local emergency management agency about contacting us to schedule a training course in your area.

Who can do TLAER?

The training course is offered to virtually anybody, experienced or inexperienced. However, the training targets those who are involved with the USAR Teams, Fire Service, Animal Control, Veterinarians, Zoo or Animal Parks, Emergency Services, Law Enforcement, Wildlife, Rescue Squads, Animal Rescue Organizations, Emergency Management, Disaster Teams, Commercial Haulers, Livestock Operations, and large animal handlers.

THIS SITE WAS UPDATED JUNE 26, 2009