Access animal in a building or structure

Animal contained in a building or structure

The following legislation supports the power of entry to gain access to an animal, or to deal with an animal in distress:

• Animal Welfare Act
• Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act
• Welfare of Animals Act (Northern Ireland)

Powers under these acts are restricted to local authority animal inspectors and the police. As they do not extend to the fire and rescue service, this could lead to prosecution for criminal damage if force is used to gain access to an animal in a building or structure.

Therefore, before attempting to gain entry to a building or structure in order to access or rescue an animal, it will be necessary to gain the permission of the owner of the building or structure, or the police, if damage may be caused. This would not apply if a fire and rescue service needs to gain access to a building or structure for a legislated primary reason, such as dealing with a fire, where rescuing an animal is in effect a secondary action.

If the incident commander determines that the only option is to force entry to the building or structure to access an animal in danger, they should advise the police of this intention and the justification. Photos or videos of the animal in danger should be captured and details of any witnesses should be gathered.

For further information refer to Operations – Gain access or entry.

Animal trapped within a building or structure

If an animal is trapped within a building or structure, such as behind a wall, ceiling or floor, or in a collapsed structure, appropriate resources and equipment should be used to locate the animal and to break through building or structural elements to access it.

However, the permission of the owner of the building or structure, or the police, should be obtained if damage will be caused while accessing the trapped animal.

Manual manipulation or mechanical techniques may be required to access a trapped animal The control measures required to access a person may also be applied when accessing an animal that is trapped within a building or structure. For further information refer to Search, rescue and casualty care – Effective and co-ordinated use of rescue tools.

Dangerous animals

If it is necessary to request permission from the owner to gain access to a building or structure, the opportunity should be taken to ask them about the type and quantity of animals present, including any dangerous or exotic animals. Similarly, if permission is being requested from the police to gain access, the opportunity should be taken to ask if they are aware of any dangerous or exotic animals in the building or structure.

Pre-release consideration

If access to the animal is gained and before it is released, the control measure Determine an appropriate rescue route and destination for the animal should be considered.