But one crew was faced with a unique task when they were called out to save a pig called Olive who had wedged herself upside-down against a garden shed in Hockley, Essex.
Quick-thinking officers deployed airbags and cutting gear - the same equipment used to free car crash victims - to release the sow yesterday.
The animal plunged down the tight gap while trying to scratch her back against the shed at her home.
After tumbling over, she became completely wedged between the wooden building and a concrete post.
When the pig’s panicked owner realised Olive was stuck on her back, she called 999, and a fire crew from nearby Hawkwell was immediately dispatched to the unusual scene.
Firefighters used specialist equipment including airbags and cutting gear to tackle the challenge, and quickly set Olive free.
Sub Officer Gary Shinn said: ‘We believe Olive was on a concrete step and went for a scratch and ended up falling over and getting wedged upside down.
‘She was really stuck - it wasn’t a simple of case of pulling her free.’
The firefighter said Olive was initially distressed but soon calmed down after crew members reassured her they meant no harm.
He added: ‘We had to use cutting equipment to free her and although distressed at first, she calmed down after a little stroke. The owner was very pleased to be reunited with Olive. We’ve been to a few animal rescues, but never a pig.’
Olive was soon hogging the limelight in photographs posted by Essex County Fire and Rescue on Twitter, with one image showing the five-strong crew and delighted owner posing with the rescued sow and another pig.
This is not the first time firefighters have been called on to carry out an unusual animal rescue. In June, crews were called to rescue an 8ft boa constrictor after it slithered into a gas fire.
The team from Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue had to isolate the gas supply and carefully take apart the fire to free the hissing snake.
That same month, another set of firefighters was deployed to free a cow who got stuck in a tree.
Crews had to use a crane to lift the heifer to safety after its head became jammed in the bow of the tree on farmland in Northallerton, North Yorkshire.
(Daily Mail - Aug 1, 2016)
