On Friday 10/18 at approximately Noon, members of the Watch Hill Fire Department responded along with members of the Westerly Regional Trench Rescue Team to assist the Dunn's Corners Fire Department with a horse stuck in several feet of mud. WHFD personnel assisted in moving equipment, serving as operational task force members at the scene, and as command officers running staging and logistics for the overall incident. After almost a 5 hour operation brining personnel from nearly 10 agencies, “Chet” a 19 hand Percheron horse was successfully rescued and was able to walk under his own power back to his paddock relatively unharmed!

Special thanks to our volunteer firefighters who responded and to those firefighters and officers who covered our own district for other emergency responses that could have come in locally in the village while these operations were underway in the Bradford section of town.

WHFD has been a proud partner in the regional trench rescue team since its inception in 2015 providing personnel and resources to this group of responders who specialize in trench and sand rescues. This is the second time this year the team has been activated for a mud emergency. We responded in April to the town of West Greenwich to assist West Greenwich Fire/ Rescue for a child who was trapped in waist level mud but, was thankfully successfully rescued prior to the team’s interventions.

Great work by all involved in yesterday’s incident! We are always willing to help our neighbors anytime as they stand ready and willing to do the same for us!