Access animal contained in or trapped by a mode of transport

This control measure should be read in conjunction with Transport

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 mode of transport.

Before attempting to access an animal from a mode of transport, it will be necessary for a fire and rescue service to gain the permission of the registered keeper of the vehicle, or the police, if damage may be caused. This would not apply if a fire and rescue service needs to gain access to a mode of transport for a legislated primary reason, such as rescuing a person, 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 mode of transport 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.

If permission to gain access to the vehicle is required and granted, appropriate resources and equipment should be used to gain access to the mode of transport. This should be followed by using the appropriate manual manipulation techniques or mechanical techniques, as provided in:

• Transport – Using tools to access modes of transport
• Search, rescue and casualty care – Effective and co-ordinated use of rescue tools

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.