A new measure to protect livestock in the event of an emergency is being launched in the Vernon area.
The B.C. Cattlemen's Association held a press conference at the Prestige Vernon Lodge parking lot Saturday (Jan. 25) to announce the launch of a new emergency livestock response unit, which will be based near Vernon.
It's the fifth such unit to be deployed in B.C. and comes through a program led by the Emergency Livestock Response Committee, which was formed in 2018.
The unit consists of a trailer loaded with livestock rescue supplies such as horse and cow halters, sorting and corral panels and tools. It also carries supplies for producers including a first-aid kit, protective clothing, a fire extinguisher and much more, for a total of about 60 items.
Because the trailer is mobile, the unit can be deployed throughout the region during emergencies such as wildfires, floods and vehicle incidents involving animals being transported.
On top of funding from the provincial government, the trailer comes in part thanks to TELUS, which approached the Cattlemen's Association with some funding for livestock protection.
The livestock unit "is really to help out in situations, mainly on highway accidents where we see rollovers that involve livestock, to be able to get out and help the first responders," said Kevin Boon, general manager of the Cattlemen's Association.
"A lot of what we see when the RCMP of the fire department show up at a highway accident is they're not familiar with livestock, they're not familiar with what to do with them and a lot of times the first instinct is to open the trailer and let them out, and really that's the wrong thing to do because they've had them contained, and they make them uncontained and one accident turns into several," Boon added.
Instead, Boon said the livestock response unit can assist with safely corralling animals in an emergency.
"We can get there," Boon said. "We've got all the equipment in here to help, we've got trained guys that will be there to come in and to actually be the experts to assist (first responders) in the managing of the livestock. That's very important and it's what we've been missing."
The hope is to soon double the number of emergency livestock response units in B.C. from five to 10.
"We hope to have enough of them that we can have them spread throughout the province so they're no more than a two-hour drive away from any accident," Boon said.
Vernon-Lumby MLA Harwinder Sandhu, B.C.'s parliamentary secretary for agriculture, was at Saturday's launch of the response unit and said she is grateful for this new resource, having come into office shortly before the White Rock Lake wildfire devastated the region.
"From floods to wildfires to drought, you've seen it all, and we've been listening and working with farmers and ranchers so we can provide the programs and supports that meet the need," Sandhu said. "This new livestock response unit will be at the front lines during emergencies and helping animals."
Cpl. Cory Lepine is the sole member of the RCMP's livestock division. He explained that if a call comes in to 911, dispatch is able to inform police officers that the livestock response unit is on its way.
"Obviously when we go to that type of thing, the collision is our main responsibility, not the animals," Lepine said, adding if these response units can help set up temporary enclosures for animals while first responders are dealing with the collision, that will lead to a better outcome for people and animals alike.
Lepine was the first to introduce the concept of having emergency livestock response trailers in B.C. after attending a large animal rescue clinic in Alberta.
The emergency livestock response unit can be deployed in the event of an emergency by calling 1-877-314-9686.
