Inside Orange County's one-of-a-kind horse rescue training

Last week found members of the Orange County Fire Authority 's Urban Search & Rescue Team in San Juan Capistrano participating in a decidedly different kind of fire drill, one during which they learned the ropes (and reins ) of horse rescue operations.

The firefighters were hosted at the Shea Center for Therapeutic Riding, where Daily Pilot contributing writer and photographer Eric Licas joined them to learn the ins and outs of the operation for this story.

A surprisingly high number of Orange County 's cities - roughly half - have equine and other large animal populations that must be considered during various emergencies, OCFA Battalion Chief Danny Goodwin estimated for Licas. Some firefighters, Goodwin acknowledged, have not had extensive experience with animals that can weigh anywhere from around 1, 000 pounds to just over a ton, depending on their breed and build. It can obviously be a dicey proposition for those unfamiliar with the animals to rescue them from dangerous situations such as wildfires.

Advertisement "It 's one of the most dangerous calls we run, because we are around a large animal that is scared and that is a prey animal, " Goodwin explained to the reporter. "So it 's fight or flight."

The battalion chief had riding experience and helped start the training program in 2021, after one of the Shea Center 's horses fell down a ravine and had to be airlifted to a veterinarian. Goodwin led that rescue, which inspired him to lend a hand in creating the annual open- air schooling for other first responders.

When the reporter attended the session a week ago, firefighters were being taught to read equine body language, how to safely approach them and guide them by the reins.

"Crews spent the day nudging horses down a winding trail through the San Joaquin Hills, " Licas writes, "brushing their coats and getting to know the animals ' mannerisms."

Shea Center 's chief executive, Dana Butler- Moburg, the resulting program is unique in the United States and she would encourage other such facilities to incorporate something similar.

Jaqueline E. Johnson, doctor of veterinary medicine for Equine Veterinary Associates, assists with the training. She told Licas she 's seen real life proof that the program works.

"[Equine rescues have ] gotten so much better, so much smoother because the firefighters are like, 'Oh, I know how to be around horses, and have learned to have a relationship with veterinarians, '" Johnson said.

MORE NEWS -Mother 's Market workers launched a union drive on Monday with a rally at the company 's Costa Mesa store that was scheduled to be repeated at other Mother 's Market locations throughout this week.

-Santa Ana is taking steps to erase images of the late farmworker leader C ésar Ch ávez in its parks, following the recent reporting of sex abuse allegations against him.

-A puppy was abandoned outside a Mission Viejo animal urgent care facility at around 3 :25 a.m. Friday by a man driving a red, four- door sedan. On Tuesday afternoon, according to City News Service, animal services investigators said they had identified the puppy 's owner, who was seen in surveillance video as the animal was tossed through the facility 's gate.

-Members of the Huntington Beach City Council, apparently having come to the realization the city is likely on the losing end of the state 's lawsuit intended to force an audit of a controversial agreement with Pacific Airshow, voted 5- 0 in closed session last week to enter into settlement discussions. Mayor Pro Tem Butch Twining and Councilmember Gracey Van Der Mark were absent from the meeting.

-Although some members of the Costa Mesa City Council endorsed the idea of adopting a new code of ethics for city officials they were outvoted by their council colleagues during last week 's regular meeting. Mayor Pro Tem Manuel Chavez and Councilmembers Loren Gameros, Mike Buley and Jeff Pettis held the majority vote against it, with Mayor John Stephens joining Councilmembers Andrea Marr and Arlis Reynolds in favor of it.

-Wrecking crews sent by O.C. Sanitation District have made their way to Rhone Lane in Huntington Beach, where any structures - including swimming pools - that had been placed behind homes on a county easement decades ago, have been, or soon will be, demolished. O.C. San maintains the unpopular move is necessary in case repairs are needed along a 69- inch wastewater pipeline that runs through there.

-A dedication ceremony was recently held at Al- Karmel Meat Market in Anaheim for the new "Welcome to Little Arabia " mural. "I hope this mural is like an invitation, " said Amin Nash, policy and advocacy coordinator for the Arab American Civic Council. "It shows that there are images that represent the community. Hopefully, that will create more acceptance and beautify the [Little Arabia ] district."

-A recent UC Irvine poll of Orange County voters, regarding the gubernatorial primary that 's coming up in June, showed that Republican candidates Steve Hilton and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco are favored locally and could elbow any Democrats off the ballot entirely. But it 's still too soon to say, as 25 % of the O.C. respondents were undecided on the governor race.

-Michelle Steel, 70, the former Orange County congresswoman who previously served on the county Board of Supervisors, has been nominated by President Trump to serve as U.S. Ambassador to South Korea.

BUSINESS -Rove opened a new 40- unit electric vehicle charging station with a Gelson 's ReCharge micro- market last week at 2666 Harbor Blvd. in Costa Mesa. The combo, the second partnership with Gelson 's since a first location opened in Santa Ana last fall, allows people to stock up on snacks and grocery essentials while they wait for their vehicles to charge.

-King 's Seafood Company has acquired the O Sea brand, which operates a restaurant in Old Towne Orange that will close at the end of this month. King 's Seafood Co. operates King 's Fish House in Orange and Water Grill in Costa Mesa.

PUBLIC SAFETY -A motorist who died following a solo- vehicle collision in Dana Point last week was identified as a well- known Laguna Beach chef, Rainer Schwarz, 59.

-Two men were killed at about 12 :35 a.m. Monday in a fiery, single- vehicle crash into a tree on Katella Avenue near the Orange (57 ) Freeway in Anaheim. Investigators were asking anyone who may have witnessed the crash to call Anaheim police, (714 ) 765- 1900.

-A 19- year- old man was charged Monday with drugging and raping a woman in Laguna Beach on Friday.

-A Fullerton resident, Jeffrey Lynn Clayton, 43, was charged Thursday with fatally shooting another man in Stanton on Easter Sunday. He 's accused of killing Anthony Lee Carlos, 37, of Fullerton.

-Former Orange County sheriff 's deputy and Irvine resident Fernando Melo Flores, 40, was charged this week with possessing child sexual abuse material, using a police database to pull information about his ex- girlfriend and her boyfriend, and violating a restraining order, prosecutors said Tuesday, according to this L.A. Times report.

-Julia Elizabeth Royer, 36, pleaded not guilty Monday to charges stemming from an alleged DUI hit- and- run collision in Rancho Santa Margarita in February that injured a 17- year- old boy, CNS reported. Royer was allegedly driving with a blood- alcohol level of 0.23, nearly three times the legal limit.

SPORTS -Two Back Bay rivals, Maia Helmar (Newport Harbor High ) and Alexa Rokos (Corona del Mar High ), have signed to play for the first NCAA Division I flag football program on the West Coast, at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. "We 'll finally be on the same team, which I think will be super fun, " Rokos told the Daily Pilot.

-Times columnist Eric Sondheimer on Tuesday posted the top 20 high school softball teams in the Southland as ranked by CalHiSports.com. Check here to see if your favorite O.C. team made the list."

-Sondheimer also reported that Orange Lutheran, the midseason No. 1 team in Southern California high school baseball, completed a four- game sweep at the Boras Classic South on Friday night, winning the championship game 4- 1 over Norco.

-Pat Verbeek, general manager of the Anaheim Ducks, has agreed to a multiyear contract extension with the organization, The Times reported. Verbeek first stepped into the role in February 2022.

CALENDAR -100 years and counting : The Huntington Beach Union High School District auditorium originally opened in 1926. A centennial celebration show, "A Century of Stars and Stories, " is planned for this Saturday at the auditorium, 1905 Main St., Huntington Beach. A reception will be held at 6 p.m., prior to the show at 7 p.m. Tickets are available here and priced at $25 for balcony seats, $50 for general admission and $100 for a VIP package.

-Hoping to make it into the Guinness Book of World Records, dancers will assemble at the Peninsula Park Athletic Field next to Balboa Pier on April 19 in a bid to take part in the biggest swing dance lesson ever. The event begins at 10 a.m. and is free and open to dancers 13 or older. Singles are welcome and will be paired with a dance partner. Sign up here.

-The annual Fullerton College Jazz Festival is taking place this Friday through Sunday. The educational festival features competitions, live performances, clinics and more. A schedule of concerts can be found here.

-Aces Car Club hosts its annual Hot Rod Resurrection event from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 25 at Old World Village in Huntington Beach. The show features pre- 1965 traditional hot rods and vintage bikes only.

-Discovery Day at the Farm is coming up next week at the OC Fair & Event Center. On Wednesday, April 22, from 9 a.m. to noon, children of all grade levels, and their parents or chaperones, can enjoy seed planting, chick and crops education, an oxen demonstration and more. Admission and parking are free.

KUDOS -Pardon my in- house boast, but Daily Pilot & TimesOC writer Gabriel San Rom án was honored last week with the prestigious Ruben Salazar Award presented by the California Chicano News Media Assn. for a story he wrote last summer about Arturo, a man in his late 20s who arrived in Orange County from Mexico as an infant and made the decision to self- deport with his wife and child, both of whom are U.S. citizens, ahead of the ICE raids. Also - and equally exciting for us - veteran journalist Stephanie Chavez, an editor with our mother ship, The Times, captured the Association 's honors as Latina Journalist of the Year. Well done !

KEEP IN TOUCH We appreciate your help in making this the best newsletter it can be. Please send news tips, your memory of life in O.C. (photos welcome !) or comments to carol.cormaci @latimes.com.

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