Riverside County residents who have experience handling horses and working around livestock, or who are inclined to give it a try, are needed for an all-volunteer unit attached to the Department of Animal Services.

The agency will be holding an orientation Saturday for prospective Riverside Emergency Animal Rescue System -- REARS -- volunteers.

The daylong meeting and workshop are set for 9 a.m. at the Western Riverside County Animal Shelter, 6851 Van Buren Blvd. Jurupa Valley.

"We often get people from all over that want to assist our agency during wildfires," Department of Animal Services Commander Chris Mayer said.

"However, we only use our REARS members because they have been properly trained to work with us during such critical moments."

According to Mayer, REARS volunteers are essential to assist animal control officers with evacuating horses, cattle and other creatures that are not easy to maneuver.

Volunteers who have their own horse trailers and vehicles capable of hauling big animals can make an enormous difference during an evacuation, he said.

The animal control officer emphasized that the department puts a priority on calling up residents who have been through the daylong orientation and certification course.

"We cannot allow random volunteers to go into evacuation zones because we are working directly with an incident command post and only going to locations where we are allowed to safely go," he said. "That's why we only use those specialized volunteers we have trained."

The Saturday orientation will involve hands-on activities, and those who receive certification will be eligible to take part in an April 27 exercise at the San Jacinto Valley Animal Campus, officials said.

Anyone interested in attending is encouraged to contact the Jurupa Valley shelter at (951) 358-7387.