It might not occur to many men and women who sign up to be firefighters that they could have to rescue a horse, a pig or a cow in addition to dousing flames.
So the Illinois Fire Service Institute in Champaign, based at the University of Illinois, wants them to have the skills to succeed and to know who to contact for help in emergencies involving livestock.
"It's one of those low-frequency, high-risk events. Like grain bin rescues, they don't happen often, but they are a big deal," said Dave Newcomb, an instructor in IFSI's agriculture program for about 20 years. He was an Urbana firefighter for 30 years before retiring in 2011. Watching from the stands of the toasty UI Stock Pavilion was IFSI Director Royal Mortenson, who said he wanted to be sure there was enough demand for such training before he invested the money.