The Bureau, Marshall-Putnam, Mercer, Henry, Warren-Henderson, Stark, Rock Island and Peoria county farm bureaus will offer an eight-hour large animal rescue course for area first responders at 9 a.m. Saturday, March 28, at Black Hawk College’s east campus, 26230 Black Hawk Road, Galva.

The course is designed to provide Illinois emergency first responders with operations-level information on large animal rescues.

The first responders include sheriff departments, emergency medical services, fire departments, police departments, forest preserve officers and the Department of Natural Resources. Participants will receive a course completion certificate.

Large animals include but are not limited to sheep, cows, llamas, horses, alpacas, and pigs. A cow and a horse will be used for the course teaching model.

The course features topics such as a L.A.R.A information classroom review, animal haltering drills, trailer safety inspections, rescue glide drills, simple vertical lifts drills, and basic rescue drag drills. The farm bureaus are currently securing funding for the event to be offered for free or at a low cost.

For more information or to register, call 815-875-6468.