At approximately 1 p.m. on Thursday, September 1, crews from the County of Grande Prairie Regional Fire Service La Glace and Clairmont stations, Sexsmith Fire Department, County Regional Enforcement Services, Grande Prairie RCMP and provincial brand inspector, were dispatched to a fully-loaded, double-decker cattle transport trailer that rolled travelling on Range Road 74 north of Highway 59. 

The cattle liner had 70 head of cattle inside, which were trapped. Crews from the La Glace fire station with specialty equipment and training for technical large animal rescue, were able to provide specialized support to the incident. Additional assistance from the MD Greenview Fire Services Debolt station was requested for additional specialty equipment but was not required. 

Access to remove the cattle from the trailer was created using rotary saws and vehicle extrication equipment. The cattle were transferred to another trailer over three hours. A total of 61 of the cattle were successfully transferred while the remaining did not survive. The driver of the trailer was uninjured. 

County Council has invested in Technical Large Animal Rescue expertise at the La Glace fire station, including regular training and equipment suited to these types of calls for service.    

Information provided by the County of Grande Prairie Regional Fire Service