Any ol' firefighter can rescue your daughter's kitten from a treetop, but saving an injured and frantic 1,000-pound horse in a bustling intersection can be a little more dicey.

Just ask Mark Carr. The county fire-rescue worker was helping strap Karma into a harness for hoisting to safety with a crane and, unlike kittens, horses can kick.

"If he were to panic right now, you guys just drop back and leave him alone," said Rebecca Gimenez, the trainer leading the mock animal rescue. "But once you make the decision to lift, you're going to lift and no screwing around."

Carr and about 35 other county fire-rescue workers, animal care and control workers and civilian volunteers are learning better ways to handle that scenario and other emergencies involving large animals during a two-day training course that wraps up today in Wellington. Moments earlier, Carr tamed a cantankerous llama named Dexter with a makeshift halter as fellow firefighters helped him corral the beast.

"I've never caught a llama before; he was feisty," Carr said during the training at the equestrian show jumping grounds. "But this is a very applicable training session. Some of it is common sense and some of it is completely different."

Knowing how to deal with a large animal in distress not only improves its chances for survival but protects the public and the emergency workers involved, said Dr. Tomas Gimenez, a veterinary professor at Clemson University. Tomas and wife Rebecca have been teaching the Large Animal Emergency Rescue program to emergency workers across the country for the past eight years.

It's particularly vital information for the county's western communities, long a haven for horse lovers, as well as a place where barnyard animals commonly graze next to suburbs and the odd llama or emus dot the pet landscape, said county fire-rescue Capt. Houston Park.

The training will come in handy during day-to-day emergencies involving large animals, such as a car wreck involving a horse trailer or a loose animal struggling in a canal, Park said. But it could prove invaluable in the aftermath of a hurricane or other large scale emergency, he said. The emphasis of the training is on protecting the public and emergency workers first, but Park said they also are concerned with the animals' safety. After all, the job is about saving lives and protecting property; an expensive show horse can be both a loved family member and an investment, he said.

"Our goal has always been human care first," Park said. "But if we're in an environment where we can provide assistance to animals, we want to know what we're doing."

Special Operations Battalion Chief S. O'Bannon,  District Chief J Wright and crews from SO31 and SO19 also attended this class since raising / lowering and hauling systems are needed assist rescuers in saving these large animals.

Challenges presented included lifting of horses from mud or water, helicopter lifting operations, rescue of horses from lakes or flood waters, and rescue from horse trailers rolled over in an auto crash. Cranes, airbags, rope systems, floats and boats were used to aid in the "rescues." Local dignitaries, horse owners, and civilians were also on hand to watch the training. Although the animals were splinted, hoisted, floated and suffered simulated wounds, none were in danger or harmed in any way during the exercise.