Disaster Response Specialist Joins OpenEd and Equine Guelph as Guest Speaker

Open Learning and Educational Support (OpenEd) welcomes Julie Fiedler as a guest speaker to the Management of the Equine Environment online course, and to the Fire & Emergency Preparedness short course offered by Equine Guelph, both taught by instructor Susan Raymond.

Fiedler, executive officer of Horse SA, is very involved in disaster response planning and brings her knowledge to discuss emergency response for horse owners.

“Preparation for emergencies is a year-round activity and is an essential part of running every horse property,” says Fiedler. “It is easy to think about wildfires in summer or storms in winter, while other types of risks to consider include disease or even major electrical and communication failures.”

During the 12-week Management of the Equine Environment course, Raymond will discuss the importance of maintaining a safe and functional equine environment including stable design and ventilation, air quality, bedding, and safety guidelines for horse owners.

“People are often intimidated when thinking about emergency situations and what could happen,” says Raymond. “This course looks at the steps to take ahead of time to prevent problems from occurring later and teaches students what to do in an emergency situation.”

Fiedler will focus on emergency preparedness and what horse owners need to know during time-sensitive situations in Unit 07: Extreme Weather and Emergency Action Plans, taking place during the week of February 24, 2020.

For more information about the equine courses, visit the Equine Studies Online Program page.

About Julie Fiedler:

Julie has held the role of executive officer, Horse SA, for 18 years. Horse SA is a non-profit state horse council, with a wide-ranging role that seeks to engage the broader horse-owning community on topics including recreational trails, workplace safety, emergency preparedness and sustainable land management.

In a recent workplace context, Julie has been involved in working within the horse community through the recovery phase of the Cudlee Creek Fire (Adelaide Hills, South Australia). The fire ground features many small horse-keeping holdings, vineyards, orchards and tourism enterprises. It is this evolving experience which is drawn on for this online course.