The MSU Extension office in Berrien County has unveiled a new program to help respond to crashes involving livestock.
The Emergency Response to Accidents Involving Livestock program, or ERAIL, is aimed at providing training to first responder agencies that work the scenes of such crashes. MSU Extension Agriculture and Agribusiness Institute Director Ron Bates on Thursday described how the equipment can help.
“The equipment itself is a variety of different things,” Bates said. “It includes gating so that they can make portable corrals for, they have panels that they can use to help move livestock, put them in a state that they can then get them onto other vehicles and get them away from the scene.”
Berrien County Sheriff Chuck Heit said this is a great help to law enforcement that will reduce danger out on the roads.
“We don’t have this workforce to try and deal with the animals,” Heit said. “If you let them out, they can run across the street and cause even more of a danger to other vehicles that are traveling. Finding a place that we can get them to in a safe manner is just a great resource. It’s also one of those resources we hope we don’t have to use very often.”
MSU Extension presented the new program Thursday to Berrien County Commissioners, state Representative Joey Andrews, and staff from the Berrien County Sheriff’s Department.
