Education

Inspired by her love of horses and desire to help her community, Katie Thorne began her El Dorado County Search and Rescue volunteer career in 2002. First qualifying as a member of the diversified ground team, she then qualified for both the Mounted and Technical Rope rescue teams. Her membership in EDSAR expanded her education in the field of emergency preparedness and response: fielding for lost and injured persons, responding to fires and floods, animal evacuations, and sheltering animals in emergency situations. In 2020, Katie led her team in developing a Large Animal Rescue Team that can respond to complex animal rescue calls in the region. EDSAR Animal Technical Rescue Team has become a leader in large-animal rescue in Northern California, working with UC Davis Veterinary School, CVET, local fire stations, Cal Fire, Sac Metro Fire, and many other agencies to refine and advance responses to large-animal emergencies. Her focus is on the safety of riders and animals before, during, and after their rides, and she speaks to preparedness, planning, and responses to the unknown events that trail riding may present.