Nevada is an incredible state but it has a number of challenges when it comes to horse safety in emergencies. A high percentage of suburban and rural residents own horses and many areas are at risk of fast moving wildfires, flash flooding and general flooding. The terrain is rugged and access can be difficult during emergencies. For thirteen years LRTC has trained and operated a horse emergency response team (H.E.R.T.) that has been utilized for a number of types of horse emergencies. Rescuing a foal whose dam died of West Nile Virus. Rescuing horses, donkeys and other animals during the Centerville Flood.   Equipment Inventory Horse Trailers Horse trailers permanently assigned to the team include four stock type trailers capable of "rough road" service. They each have the capacity to haul four large horses and up to 12 weanlings. Three of the trailers can be divided by ceiling-to-floor dividers into separate compartments for transporting horses that are not compatible with each other. Two trailers are equipped with loading / holding panels that can be used to safely load difficult horses or establish temporary holding corrals. One trailer has storage for specialized equipment, veterinary supplies, cattle marking crayons, etc. Training with Lyon County Animal Services staff. This "core" compliment of equipment is often augmented by other experienced volunteers with their own stock trailers, depending upon conditions and risks. Support Trailers Additional support is provided by a 400 gallon military spec water trailer with pump and portable water tank, a flat bed trailer typically stocked with portable corral panels and a second flat bed trailer that can transport hay, supplies or an additional cache of portable corral panels. Dedicated portable corral panel trailer. Filling a stock tank during a water emergency. Jeep and supply trailer. Extra flat trailer with stock tank and porta-crates. Specialized transport Specialized transport for neonatal and injured foals is provided by means of a crew cab pickup with a "foal cage" located behind the front seats. Relocating an orphaned foal at the end of a long day.   Support Supplies

Field operations are supported by a cache of supplies. Included are:

Helmets Gloves Goggles High visibility vests Personal alarm devices 2-way radios Flashlights (including two 500,000 cp spot lights) Glow sticks Halters Leads Rescue rope Life line Webbing and carabiners 36" bolt cutters Fence repair supplies Clipboards and animal movement forms Animal first aid supplies Personnel first aid supplies Water Energy bars

Rapid deployment supply locker.

Plus a host of miscellaneous supplies. In addition the team has available a variety of plastic and cardboard portable dog and cat crates of various sizes. "Jump" bag. "Hasty" supplies. Team members have historically participated (and helped conduct) volunteer training with regional agencies, and the team operates under ICS-220 operational guidelines. Storey / Lyon County Local Emergency Preparedness Citizen's Training. First aid / safety orientation. Safe loading training for horses, llamas and other livestock. LRTC's H.E.R.T. typically responds with crews of two volunteers assigned to each trailer, however crew levels can vary according to volunteer availability at the time of any given emergency. If assigned to a staging area, crews can be adjusted according to the complexity of assignments. The entire team can work together for larger assignments or individual units can be deployed by the requesting agency or Staging Area Manager for smaller assignments. The basic "compliment" is often augmented by additional qualified volunteers and their trailers. This flexibility increases the functional usefulness of the team. Return to LRTC Wild Horse Mentors