Eight years ago a horse died during the shift of Capt. John Fox of the Felton, Calif., Fire Protection District. The horse had fallen into a crevice on a trail ride, and none of the emergency responders had the training to get it out. Fox, a firefighter and longtime horse owner, was distraught. In response, he and his wife, Debra, a firefighter/paramedic, spearheaded the area’s first Large Animal Rescue (LAR) and training program.

Midway through a conversation with Capt. Fox about the LAR, the dispatcher’s alarm in their home rang, and moments later, he and Debra were out the door. Just an average “day off” in the life of a firefighter. But the LAR unit is anything but typical. Most fire and emergency responders have no training for dealing with horse problems, such as barn fires or van and trail accidents. A lot of fire companies don’t think it is necessary