This year was not exceptional either in the number of interventions or in their severity, but one intervention made us think of the work of firefighters in the days when there were more horse-drawn carriages on the streets than cars.

On 26th January in the afternoon, Prague firefighters were deployed together with their colleagues from Prague – West and in conjunction with units of volunteer firefighters Černošice and Mokropsy to rescue a drowning horse. With the horse about 15 meters from the shore, the ice broke and the horse was drowning. Using adjustable ladders, firefighters got to it and with ropes and continuous breaking of the ice, they got the horse to the shore. After intensive massaging, covering with blankets and necessary treatment by a veterinarian, the horse was loaded on a platform truck and taken to the warmth in the station of volunteer unit Mokropsy. Two intervening firefighters, who got wet in the river while rescuing the horse, were treated by the paramedics.

Even though, despite all the care, the horse eventually died from the cold, it is also important for citizens breeding various animals to be sure that in such extreme cases they have someone to turn to.