Cal Fire and first responders from across the state finished a three-day training session Wednesday in Del Mar to practice moving animals safely out of harms way during emergency situations, like the Cedar Creek (2003) and Witch Creek (2007) Fires.
News 8 reported that the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine and California Emergency Management Agency worked together this week with local law enforcement, animal control and firefighters to help come up with an evacuation plan in the event of an emergency situation that would require families with large animals, such as horses, evacuating from areas like Ramona.
Cal Fire Captain Tony Mendez told News 8 that the training session was a valuable experience for all agencies involved.
"Just the fact that we're meeting ahead of time and becoming familiar with each other in these types of environements as opposed to just running into each other in times of emergencies, the value of that is incalcuable," he said.
The training program, which included groups like Animal Control and CERT, is funded by State of California and Department of Homeland Security and helps reduce the risk of injured and scared animals.
See more on this training session at the Del Mar Fairgrounds here at CBS News 8.
