October 15, 2007
This afternoon, a live demonstration of a horse rescue via helicopter was performed at LSU’s Fire & Emergency Training Institute as part of a four-day technical large animal emergency rescue and large animal hazardous material training course. Sponsored by the Louisiana State Animal Response Team, the primary goal of the course is to prepare and train first responders, veterinarians, and other animal care personnel to work together in order to safely and effectively save animal lives without compromising human life during a disaster.
Today’s demonstration consisted of a vertical lift and the showing of proper technique for placing a large animal in a glide. First responders, police officers, sheriff and deputy officials, veterinarians, veterinary technicians, animal control officials, animal shelter personnel, veterinary students, and animal/equine science students made up the group of course participants.
The course and training are being administered by LSU’s Equine Health Studies Program at the School of Veterinary Medicine and FETI. LSU’s Stephenson Disaster Management Institute joined with those groups, the Louisiana Veterinary Medical Association Equine Committee Foundation, and the Louisiana Veterinary Medical Association to co-host the event. These organizations provided meals, t-shirts, course materials, hotel accommodations, and are covering the instructors’ expenses.
Rebecca Gimenez, Ph.D., and Dr. Tomas Gimenez from Technical Large Animal Emergency Rescue Inc., located in Pendleton, S.C., are the course instructors. For biographical information about them, visit www.tlaer.org.
Course participants will receive a certificate upon successful completion, which can be used for local, regional, state, and national disaster response credentialing.
To find out more about this training course and when the next one will be available, please contact the LVMA Office by phone 225-928-5862 or via e-mail at:
lvma@pncpa.com.
Wendy Osborn Luedtke
LSU E. J. Ourso College of Business
225-578-8865
