On Monday September 18th, Eden Volunteers and Medic 2-13(Manheim Township Ambulance Assc.) joined members of the New Life Assistance Dogs organization for a joint training. The New Life Assistance program trains assist dogs for people with physical and/or mental handicaps. The training event, held at the Lancaster County Public Safety Training Center, was designed to acclimate dogs in training to loud noises and confusion like those encountered at an emergency scene.
Chief 24 meets with the group prior to the exercise
Meet & Greet with the dogs
Prior to the training Eden members had the opportunity to meet with the dogs and their handlers. This gave the dogs a chance to see us in our gear prior to starting the event.
The scenario that each dog was put through consisted of two parts. The first part of the event placed the dog in the vehicle with their handler. The victim and the dog were covered just as in any normal rescue scenario.The handler was then extricated from the vehicle and secured to a backboard.
Dog remains by their side throughout the scenario
FF/EMT A. Zulick
Capt. Howey, FF/EMT Adams
Part two involved the dog actually being loaded into the ambulance along with their handler. This is done because the assistance dog is supposed to remain with its handler at all times. This includes in the car and at public places including the hospital. The ambulance then took a ride around the training grounds to simulate an emergency response to the hospital with audible warning devices activated.
FF/EMT Shenk
The Eden Volunteer Fire Company would like to thank the New Life Assistance program for allowing us to participate in such a great experience. Everyone walked away learning something new and exciting about the assistance program. We would also like to thank the Manheim Township Ambulance Assc. for provinding a transport unit and crew to assist in the training.
