Technical Large Animal Emergency Rescue (TLAER TM) is not disaster medicine.  It is not field (ditch) medicine.  TLAER does NOT refer to “rescue” of neglected, starving or abused animals – although many of the techniques may be utilized on those types of scenes.  It is the practical considerations behind the safe extrication of a live large animal from entrapments (trailer wrecks, ditches, mud, barn fires) in local emergencies and disaster areas.

     The principles behind using slings, webbing and ropes for animal transport are not new.  In many countries, a large animal representsa huge financial investment and even someone’s livelihood.  Technical Large Animal Emergency Rescue Training offers training nationwide (United States) and internationally for emergency response services, such as fire departments, rescue squads, lawenforcement agencies, emergency management, county and state emergency response teams and animal control officers. The course is structured to educate those who are not members of a branch of emergency services (veterinarians, large animal facility operators, animal rescue organizations, large animal transporters, and large animal owners.)

     These courses are designed with a concentration on livestock and horses, being the most encountered large animal at an emergency incident, however the term “large animal” doesn’t have a precise definition - commercial livestock, exotic animals, zoo animals, etc.  In a TLAER incident…always “Expect the Unexpected”!  There are stacks of videos, personal accounts, social network photos, and newspaper articles that have been collected by the instructors that testify to the commonality of these types of rescues.  In addition to technical rescue operations, the tactics taught and used are very applicable to cruelty investigation cases.

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

     TLAER as a"Specialty Form of Heavy Rescue" is a new idea within the fireservices in the last 20 years. Over thelast two decades, as the occurrence of large animal incidents became morecommon, branches of emergency services have begun to respond as the public hasadopted a "911 call does it all" mentality. With the increase in the number of incidentsinvolving large animals, the need for specialized training in the field of TLAERwas exposed and more people expressed a need for AWARENESS and OPERATIONALtraining within this specialty.

     What the TLAERtraining course does is bring together (in two to four days, depending on the trainingcourse level) all of the latest concepts, techniques, procedures and equipmentbeing used today. The primary instructors search and distribute with people allaround the world - innovating tactics, techniques and procedures to share withtheir students. Our ongoing research and development, focus on simple and practicalapplications, and with improvements suggested by our highly qualified students,the courses are updated constantly – allowing students to learn the mostcurrent methods and equipment in each course.

     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 "RESOURCES" 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.

Please view the video provided for more insight into what the TLAER Course is all about...  

-----DISCLAIMER - Technical Large Animal Emergency Rescue, Inc.-----

The name and the logo are registered trademarks and cannot be used by anyone not officially working with or for TLAER, Inc, Dr. Tomas Gimenez and Dr. Rebecca Gimenez.  While we encourage people to do local training event with their emergency responders, veterinarians, and related personnel to increase the awareness of TLAER methods, procedures, and techniques, we do not allow anyone to use our logo nor the TLAER or Technical Large Animal Emergency Rescue names for their own business or promotion of alternative trainings based on our intellectual property.  Please do not pursue the use of our logo, name or website to represent your own business or training events.  While we will assist you with pictures (free of charge on our website) that you can download, and expertise via email, we have a business and have to protect ourselves.  If you have any questions, please contact me directly.  Thank you for your interest in Technical Large Animal Emergency Rescue!

Dr. Rebecca Gimenez - TLAER Inc. President / Primary Instructor