MOUNTAIN VIEW COUNTY - The county’s agriculture service board has discussed the possibility of having a livestock handling equipment trailer made available for first responders in the municipality.
The review came during a recent board meeting, held in person and on Zoom.
In April, board members instructed administration to bring back information on the trailers, which are equipped with a variety of tools and equipment to assist in the event of a livestock emergency, such as a cattle liner rollover, barn collapse or barn fire.
Currently, 18 municipalities in the province have the emergency livestock trailers, including Red Deer and Clearwater counties.
Jane Fulton, Mountain View County's assistant director of legislative, community and agricultural services, said administration looked into the potential cost of a trailer for Mountain View County.
“Based on estimates, it would be about $50,000,” said Fulton.
The county currently has a livestock emergency evacuation plan as part of its overall emergency response plan.
“Further the county also maintains a contact list with key contacts for transport, panels, veterinarian services, as well as mutual aid agreements with each surrounding rural municipality, which would enable their resources to be used in the event of emergency,” she said.
“We also have contact cards that we create for first responders that provide information on where they can access panels, trailers, talking to the brand inspectors, RCMP, livestock investigators, how to call in for the trailers.”
Board members passed a motion recommending that Mountain View County council investigate the purchase of and training for an equipped emergency livestock trailer.
“First responder knowledge of the trailers and access is important to their use,” she said. “In many municipalities, the trailers are housed at fire stations or are easily accessible to first responders. A request has been made for the number of times the trailer has been used by neighbouring municipalities.”
