Pony rescued from swimming pool

16 November 2011

A pony was rescued by firefighters last night after breaking out of its paddock and falling into a swimming pool.

6 Green Watch personnel from Rouge Bouillon and 6 part-time firefighters from the St Brelade station were called out at 1.15 am and arrived to find the pony being held at the shallow end of the pool by the couple who had raised the alarm.

A firefighter dressed in a waterproof suit entered the water to help keep the pony calm while the crews built a platform within the pool using wood and blocks found in the area. On the advice of a vet who attended the incident, a fire hose was placed under the pony's torso and was used as a lifting device to pull the pony out of the pool.

Station Commander Marc Le Cornu said that, once out of the pool, the pony was dried off by the relieved couple and led back to his paddock. Mr Le Cornu said "This rescue was a good example of the diverse variety of challenges that can be faced by our crews and the ingenuity that they must use to try to overcome the challenges. The combined efforts of the crews and the advice of the attending vet were excellent and helped this pony to walk away from his unplanned morning dip."