Author Archives: Neil
Fire Evacuation – Owning Your Fire Plan
BARTA have released a new fire safety film that outlines a fire evacuation plan and training exercise conducted at the Horse Trust, focusing on human safety, animal safety, and operational effectiveness. The film stresses the importance of owning the fire plan and practicing it with the entire team,take a look at the resources area on the BARTA website for more information on creating a fire and emergency plan. Jim Green, BARTA Director of Operations said:“Too often, fire risk assessments are seen as tick-box exercises left to gather dust. But a living,breathing fire plan – understood and owned by every team member – can make the differencebetween tragedy and success. This film aims to give equestrian yards across the UK, confidence in understanding and accessing the tools they need to create and practice a workable plan, tailored to their own risks … Continue reading →
BARTA Vet Training Delivered all Around the UK
In a new first, the BARTA team facilitated three Vet Responder courses simultaneously throughout the UK, for veterinary group IVC Evidensia’s graduate veterinary academy members. Partners in delivering this invaluable training were The Mare and Foal Sanctuary in Devon, our parent charity, The Horse Trust, in Buckinghamshire and Fire Scotland at their training centre in Perth. BARTA’s standardised Vet Responder course enables a consistent message for veterinary professionals and emergency services to seamlessly interact wherever they are in the UK. The course discusses the role of the vet within a multi agency rescue team, how to prepare themselves and the practice for receiving and responding to emergency situations and the techniques and tactics that will be used from a rescue and veterinary perspective to achieve the best outcomes. Open to all large animal veterinary surgeons and Registered Veterinary Nurse’s BARTA … Continue reading →
2024, It’s been a busy year!
It’s been an exciting year for our friends at the British Animal Rescue and Trauma Care Association (BARTA), with remarkable progress in animal rescue and safety education. BARTA played a key role at the Paris Olympics 2024, joining the equine safety and rescue team for the cross-country event at Versailles. Fortunately, no horses required rescue, however, skills of Paris firefighters’ animal rescue team were tested when a deer entered the canal in front of 5,000 spectators. Thanks to a quick response, the situation was calmly managed. Closer to home, following an incident with a loose cow, BARTA have joined an advisory group consisting of Surrey Roads Policing, the National Police Rural Crime Unit, NFU and the British Cattle Vets Association, fostering new safety initiatives to support police responders. Training this year includes fire service Responder, Team Leader and Instructor courses. … Continue reading →
Invite to InCOP Online – 15th January 2025
Our interim committee would like to welcome all those who are interested in planning for and responding to emergencies and disasters that affect people and animals to a meeting of a new support network, the International Community of Practice (Incidents Involving Animals). Formed at the 2024 BARTA Conference, this group has been established to ensure that all involved in planning and response to incidents involving animals, have access and affiliation to a network of like minded individuals for the benefit of mutual awareness, support and development. The initial online meeting will be an opportunity to meet contributors from around the world and begin to understand your needs and how we might best support your activities. The meeting will take place at 19.00 (GMT) on 15th January 2025 Via Zoom. Please register your interest via Trybooking.com for this free to join … Continue reading →
BARTA Amendment of Articles of Association
Amendment of Articles of Association of British Animal Rescue and Trauma Care Association CIC(“BARTA”) The directors of BARTA intend to amend the objects clause in its Articles of Association. Our consultation exercise has already taken place and therefore this posting is advance notification of the steps BARTA intends to take following on from that exercise. If you have any concerns or feedback we would be very happy to hear from you. However, it is our intention (subject of course to any such concerns or feedback received from our stakeholders) to hold the relevant meetings and pass the appropriate resolution to adopt the amended objects clause set out below within the next six weeks. Given that proposed timescale, if you have any concerns or feedback please could you provide these by email to: [email protected] by no later than 23/12/24 The objects … Continue reading →
Training in Saudi Arabia
BARTA’s Jim Green and Dr Nigel Haizelden recently travelled to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to support the Saudi Equestrian Authority (SEA). As well as a racecourse and equine hospital, there are around 15,000 horses in the immediate area, many who suffer injury through transportation and road traffic collisions. Sponsored by the SEA, training was available for trainers, vets and emergency service workers. Over 3 days of training 100 delegates came to learn, generating a huge level of wider interest. Jim said, “The opportunity to demonstrate the value of preparing for emergencies involving animals in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was a huge privilege for both Nigel and myself. At the recent BARTA conference we welcomed members of initiatives from around the world and we are excited to develop new collaborations with our friends and colleagues in the Middle East. Saudi Arabia … Continue reading →
Safety Officials attend a BARTA workshop
Safety officials from UK equine charities, associations and sporting disciplines came together at the Horse Trust for a BARTA workshop, to discuss progress in equine safety and care during emergencies. The BARTA team demonstrated outcomes from involvement in the London and Paris Olympics, where levels of preparedness and response are developing at each event. It is hoped that these standards of care for people and animals will become embedded within eventing risk management plans, just as it has for British horseracing. The team also outlined a programme of enabling animal establishments to assess and implement fire evacuation plans for the animals in their care. This pre-planning can be used to support all emergency situations, which will put animal keepers in a much more capable position if an incident occurs. As we see more people and animals being displaced due to … Continue reading →
New Equine Casualty Techniques Trainer Module
In what is believed to be a worlds first, Jockey Club Racing (JCR) are the first organisation to develop ground staff members to deliver internal training in techniques which will support animal and human welfare during foreseeable incidents on and off the field of play. Since 2022 BARTA have been training racecourse teams across the Uk following new rules by the British Horseracing Authority who specified the need for training and equipment to deal with incidents involving horse or jockey. Following initial training of over 400 racecourse staff, BARTA have developed a train the trainer course for selected team members in order for them to maintain standards and provide initial and maintenance of skills training across the JCR group. BARTA’s Jim Green and Ady Knight led the training which took place at Cheltenham racecourse.Jim said, “It has been wonderful to … Continue reading →
Equestrian Games, Paris 2024
BARTA director Jim Green has just returned from the Paris Olympics where he was invited by lead veterinarian Prof. Anne Couroucé to support a team of over 60 veterinary professionals who were on hand to ensure that riders and horses had the very best care throughout their time in Paris. Jim’s role was to take a central position on the cross country course and respond to any serious incident as rescue team leader. At each fence were two veterinary professionals, supported within their sector by a further two vets including an anaesthesia specialist. Responding with Jim were equine ambulance leads and FEI officials, the overseers of international equine eventing. Preparedness also included planning for an emergency which might have involved Le Grand Canal, a huge water feature which took centre stage at the prestigious event in the grounds of the … Continue reading →
Conference 2024 – Next Steps
BARTA concluded our conference “Global Solutions to Tackle Local Issues” which was attended by 100 delegates from across the world. This was the first time the international community has met in person since California in 2017. Picking up on the key outcomes from the last conference and considering the accelerating impact of climate emergencies, the outcome of this conference is the first step in creating an International Community of Practice, designed to support each other in responding to community events affecting people and animals, to strengthen and develop our local initiatives. More details will follow, but here is an update from BARTA’s Josh Slater.
