A wayward steer needed some rescuing and Sumter County Fire & EMS was more than up to the challenge of corralling the animal out of his predicament.
Apparently, the young steer had walked up an embankment that was covered with downed trees and brush. He then fell down into a void that was 4 to 5 feet below the tangled trees and vines. The stranded steer could not gain any type of footing to get out.
The owner traveled to Sumter County Fire Station 23 in Bushnell to report the incident. E-23 crews notified dispatch and responded to the scene. Battalion 11 and the Large Animal Rescue unit were dispatched.
The two crews cleared out some of the smaller trees and posts to gain access to the steer. Using the large animal rescue straps and slide board, they were able to pull the steer onto the slide board and then slide the board and steer up and over the downed trees and dirt pile. It took about 30 minutes to free the animal. He appeared uninjured but was exhausted from the incident.
Sumter County Fire & EMS crewmembers on the scene include Battalion Chief Brian Tucker, Lt. Kevin Ducharme, Firefighter Jacob Bogue, Firefighter Glenn Cerrato, Lt. Harold Jacques, Firefighter David Waller and Firefighter Dylan Ackerman.
