Authorities were forced to improvise after being unable to deliver medicine to an elderly couple due to heavy rain in Arkansas in July, KY3 reported Aug. 19.
Staff at the Baxter County Regional Medical Center (BRMC) told the fire department that recent storms had rendered roads impossible for vehicular travel, the outlet reported.
“With the flood, we had multiple washouts on the creeks about four or five feet deep in some places, and it was very hard to get any vehicles, first responder vehicles, to the patient,” volunteer firefighter Kristopher Rodgers told the outlet.
The fire department received a welfare check request on an elderly couple and eventually settled on delivering needed medicine to the couple by horseback, KY3 reported.
“My chief asked if we had a way, and he knew that I had horses,” Rodger recalled.
“Kristopher gathered some horses, and BRMC delivered the medicine to us, and we ran it up the mountain,” Tom Brown, assistant fire chief, told the outlet. “You can train all you want for a certain situation, but they’re (sic) always going to be something new that you don’t know or can’t plan for.” (RELATED: REPORT: Teen Cowboy Dies In Freak Accident With Horse)
A photo of Rodgers on his horse was shared on social media.
“Thank you all!” Rodgers wrote in a comment on the post. “I’m no hero but I’m super glad I could help, love my fire department!”