RESCUING people from fires and helping drivers from car crashes is all in a day’s work for Cheshire firefighters.

But the service also has dedicated animal rescue teams who have been called out to help all kinds of creatures – from snakes, porpoises and eagles to ducklings, bats and even the Warrington seal.

Green Watch at the new Lymm Fire Station invited us to watch a training drill for rescuing large animals, like horses.

Crew manager Mike Wyman explained: “We are meeting that animal on the worst day of its life.

“We have introduced more equipment to reduce the risks from kicking zones and head-butting. Big animals can be dangerous and we want to keep members of the public, and ourselves, safe.”

Cheshire firefighters began rescuing animals eight years ago and Mike said a common but challenging job is saving horses from horse boxes involved in crashes.

But Green Watch’s lead for animal rescue operations, Becky Wightman, has been nicknamed the ‘horse whisperer’ by her team because of her expertise.

Mike added: “We need to get the animal to a place of safety in a nearby field or away from the accident so we don’t have to close the road. Then we would get a nearby vet to help us sedate the animal and free them.

“It’s a lot about word of mouth in the equestrian community and if there is an accident we want horse owners to know we are here to help.”

There are animal rescue units at Lymm and Bollington and over the past three years Cheshire firefighters have saved cows from swimming pools, freed a ferret on the loose inside a van and helped a cat stuck in a reclining armchair.

Mike said: “It’s interesting, we are all animal fans. One minute you are rescuing a horse from a trailer, the next you might get sheep in a canal.”

And sometimes firefighters have to think outside the box to get the job done as the team remember one rescue operation where a dog was trapped down a rabbit hole for days.

The owner said her pet only barked at the doorbell so she rushed home to fetch it and once the pooch heard the bell, he began yapping and the crew were finally able to find him.

Any serious incidents involving animals where there is a risk to life should be reported to emergency services immediately by calling 999.