We’ve been busy training!
It has been a busy start to 2022 for BARTA and the next few months do not seem to be any less packed!
Our team have been working across the UK and in the first 3 months provided training to over 200 responders from the veterinary and emergency service communities.
We’ve embedded our Incidents Involving Animals – Initial Level training into the Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service online learning platform, therefore becoming the underpinning knowledge for all their operational personnel and forming a thread throughout subsequent training levels for large animal rescue.
This year we have 75 newly trained fire and rescue service Large Animal Rescue Responders (AR2), many who will also experience our Livestock and Equine Handling course over the next few months.
In March we welcomed 12 new Team Leaders (AR3) to our wider BARTA Team Leader community that now extends to 22 fire and rescue services within the UK.
BARTA’s ethos is to provide an environment for learning. We recently received this encouraging feedback from one of our new Team Leaders;
“The course was not only informative but I felt the approach that you both took to teaching and delivering the content was something that was equally important and got the best out of us. The relaxed, yet professional atmosphere, both in and out of the classroom led me to feel comfortable to ask questions and query aspects that I didn’t quite grasp. This in turn enabled me to learn without fear of thinking I wasn’t up to the task”
CPD days have been delivered in Warwickshire, for their Fire and Rescue Service and we are planning similar events in West Sussex and Northamptonshire.
Our veterinary responder day in January saw vets looking at large animal rescue principles, techniques, incident command protocols and the veterinary specialist role in supporting the resolution of incidents involving large animals. Feedback from our January 2022 vet group included;
“Definitely feel much more prepared to face one of these scenarios than I did before the course”
“A must have in your CPD record”
” Good mix of classroom and practical”
Alongside the veterinary responder course Jim Green, our Director of Operations, has also delivered a practical day at the Royal Veterinary College for students and a session attended by 116 vets, members of the Association of Racecourse Veterinary Surgeons at their Casualty Management Seminar at Aintree.
Training will continue over the next few months, but so will the background work. In order to be most prepared for the challenges of Incidents Involving Animals, we are continually assessing how best to equip responders with the right skills and resources. Working with stakeholders we have several projects underway which will lead to effective solutions for identifed needs.
Thank you to everyone who shares our passion to make a difference.
If members of your organisation encounter animals in the course of their duties, or you are from a rescue service that is currently not engaged with national collaboration, we welcome you to get in touch, it is through everyone contributing that we shape direction and deliver progress.
