Animal Emergency Management and Animal Emergency Response Missions

Unit 2

Learning Objectives

1. List core state and local roles in pet planning and response

2. Describe APHIS Animal Care’s role in animal emergency management

3. Locate and utilize the APHIS Mobilization Guide4. Identify the Animal Care Emergency Programs

Development Plan5. List and describe the animal emergency response mission

areas

State and Local Roles

Incidents begin and end locally• Manage at lowest possible

jurisdictional level

Local government responsibilities:• Assess hazards• Identify resources• Planning

PETS Act and PKEMRA• State and local emergency preparedness plans to

address needs of individuals with household pets and service animals

• FEMA Administrator authorized to fund States

Federal Laws

State Statutes

States with Pets in their Emergency Plans (Feb 2010)

USDA -APHIS’ Role in Emergency Management

APHIS’ Mission and Role

MISSION: Protect health and value of U.S. agriculture and natural resources

ROLE: Emergency Response Agency •Each employee potential emergency responder

APHIS Emergency Mobilization Guide

Purpose

• Effective, efficient and consistent responses to agricultural or homeland security situations

• Deployment information; what to expect when deployed• Describe employee selection process• Available on APHIS websitehttp://www.aphis.usda.gov/emergency_response/downloads/APHIS%20Emergency%20Mobilization%20Guide.pdf

Key Sections

• Section 10: Mission, Purpose and Design

• Sections 10.3-10.8: Employee selection

• Sections 12.1-12.6: Deployment and demobilization basics

USDA’s Role in Emergency Management

USDA’s ESF 11 Roles

• Monitor and respond to animal/plant pest and disease situations (APHIS VS and PPQ)

• Provide for safety and well-being of household pets (APHIS AC)

• Offer nutrition assistance-Food and Nutrition Service (FNS)

• Ensure the safety and security of commercially produced meat, poultry, and egg products (FSIS)

APHIS ESF 11 Resources

http://www.aphis.usda.gov/emergency_response/esf_11/esf11.shtml

Animal Care’s Role in Emergency Management

APHIS Animal Care

Safety and Well-Being of Household Pets• Provide technical support and subject matter

expertise • Not first responders for medical care or sheltering of

pets

Animal Care’s ESF 11 Support

Examples:• Hurricanes: Gustav, Ike

2008• Fires: Station Fire, Los

Angeles County 2009• Tsunami: American

Samoa 2009• Earthquake: Haiti 2010

AC Emergency Programs Vision

USDA APHIS Animal Care envisions a nation working together to protect the public through ensuring the safety and well-being of animals during disasters. Emergency Programs maintains consistency with Animal Care’s traditional regulatory goals, in that we advocate for animal safety and well-being, which improves safety and well-being for people.

ACEP’s Goals

• Employees with competencies, knowledge and personal characteristics to be available for immediate mobilization to support animal issues during emergencies

• Sufficient personnel with the right skills to meet critical staffing needs in one or multiple emergencies on a national basis

Missions of AC Emergency Programs

Missions

1. Provide national leadership2. Promote effective animal emergency planning3. Deliver training4. Mobilize highly trained personnel5. Provide contingency planning guidance and emergency

technical assistance to AWA regulated facilities6. Advocate for the use of best technologies and

appropriate practices for humane handling and depopulation during animal disease emergencies

1. National Leadership

Provide national leadership on the safety and well-being of pets and certain other animals during disasters•NASAAEP Summits, monthly conference calls•NASAAEP Best Practice Working Groups•Zoo Animal Health Network: Best Practice Working Group Zoological Facility Emergency Management•Leadership on exotic species, exhibitors, laboratory animals

2. Planning

Effective animal emergency planning at local, State, Tribal, Territorial and national levels•Workshops to develop written plan for CARES•Meetings with State partners to help write or refine animal emergency plans•Pets Coordination Function CONOPS development•Transportation exercises (LA 2008, 2010)•Sheltering exercises (NC 2010)•Engaging AC field staff in state exercises

3. Training

Support animal safety and well-being during disasters• ICS Training• Intro to Animal Emergency Management Course• AC Employee Development Plan • NASAAEP Summits• Other conferences and trainings

4. Mobilize Trained Personnel

Mobilize personnel to provide technical assistance, resource management, and response• Hurricanes Katrina and Rita 2005• Hurricanes Gustav and Ike 2008• Iowa Floods 2008• North Dakota Floods 2009• Station Fire, CA 2009• Tsunami, American Samoa 2009

5. Contingency Planning

Contingency planning guidance and emergency technical assistance to AWA regulated facilities• Expertise in working with regulated facilities• Proposed contingency plan rule

6. Advocate Best Practices

Use of best technologies and appropriate practices in animal handling (surveillance, humane animal euthanasia, and mass animal depopulation) during disaster events • Under development in partnership with Veterinary

Services

Animal Care Emergency Programs Employee Development Plan

Plan Goals

• Highly trained cadre of AC personnel • Cutting-edge animal emergency management

training • Refine roles and responsibilities

Credentialed Positions

Plan outlines 6 positions– 5 training levels– Core training– Additional training and development activities– Course descriptions – Training requirements

Consistent with APHIS Emergency Responder Qualifications System

1. Animal Welfare Officer

• Training Level 1• All AC field employees• Evaluate animal well-being – Sheltering– Transportation– Care and feeding– Veterinary medical care– Rescue operations

• Prepare reports, advise officials

2. Animal Welfare Officer – All Hazards

• Training Level 2• Animal Welfare Officer duties

plus:• Assess infrastructure and

needs• Coordination, technical

assistance and field assessment to evaluate animal well-being

3. Animal Welfare Team Leader – All Hazards• Training Level 3• Team Leader during a disaster deployment• Provide on-site leadership and supervision

4. Pets Mission Specialist

• Training Level 4• Works in multi-agency

coordination center (FEMA JFO, EOC)

• Works with stakeholders to provide coordination, technical assistance, and subject matter expertise on pet issues

• Training Level 5• Provide leadership,

supervision and conflict resolution

• Monitor AC personnel at incident

• Maintain coordination and support of household pet issues

5. Pets Mission Leader

6. Animal Care Program Response Team Member

• Assist in managing a program emergency (APHIS or provide assistance to State)

• Team provides incident management for program emergencies or ESF #11 missions

• Animal Care Inspectors, Veterinary Medical Officers, others

• Pre-requisite: Animal Welfare Officer – All Hazards Team Leader

Future Position

Animal Welfare Officer –Animal Disease Response

Animal Emergency Response Missions

Response Missions

• Six major mission areas

• Mostly handled locally• Be familiar with

missions to support them

1. Rapid Needs Assessment

• Initial survey to identify resources needed to support and sustain affected animals

• Identify need for continued monitoring and assessment

1. Rapid Needs Assessment

Assessments: • Health and safety• Evacuation and

transportation • Sheltering • ASAR • Livestock operations• Carcasses

• Veterinary care • Decontamination • Animal facilities (veterinary

facilities, shelters, kennels, biomedical facilities, zoos, farms, stables, etc.)

2. Evacuation & Transportation

• Owners evacuating with pets

• Pets of owners relying on public transportation

• Support animal facility evacuation

• Transport evacuated animals

3. Emergency Animal Sheltering

• Emergency pet and animal sheltering

• Support of shelter-in-place operations

• Pet-owner reunions

Terminology

Emergency Household Pet Shelter: pets from various sources sheltered in one facility

Example: Local animal shelter accepting pets from the public during a disaster.

Terminology

Collocated Emergency Household Pet Shelter: shelter located in reasonable proximity to a congregate shelter for people. Animal owners provide a substantial amount of care to pets.

Example: People housed in a high school gymnasium; pets housed in the nearby bus barn

Terminology

Stand-Alone Emergency Household Pet Shelter: pet shelter located away from a congregate shelter for people and distant enough that owners are not able to participate in pet care.

Example: People housed in the high school; pets housed at the fairgrounds several miles away; no pre-arranged shuttle service between facilities 

Terminology

Cohabitational Pet/Animal Shelter: congregate shelter with people and animals sharing the same spaces

Example: Fairgrounds where people and their pets are camped out. People’s horses and other livestock housed in the barns at the fairgrounds

Terminology

Pet friendly – term should only be used to describe hotels with policies allowing pets

4. Animal Search and Rescue

• Primary animal search and rescue operations

• Technical animal rescue• Animal control• Management of strays• Documentation and

disposal of dead animals

Terminology

• USAR: Urban Search & Rescue

• ASAR: Animal Search & Rescue

• TAR: Technical Animal Rescue

5. Veterinary Medical Response

• Veterinary triage• Veterinary clinical care• Veterinary euthanasia• Veterinary health and

public health issues

6. Animal Decontamination

Decontaminate animals exposed to hazardous substances

Substances include:– Biological– Chemical– Radiological

Additional Mission Response Areas

Animal Facilities Support• Utilize expertise in working with facilities housing large

animal populations– Pet facilities – Agricultural– Zoos, wildlife– Biomedical research

Additional Mission Response Areas

Animal Health Emergency Response• Foreign animal disease outbreaks or control of

endemic diseases• Assist VS with welfare issues

Additional Mission Response Areas

Wildlife Response – Handling or managing

wildlife affected by disaster

– Usually local or state response

Animal Care’s Roles

Responsibilities• Statutory• Checking status of AWA

regulated facilities in disaster area and potentially supporting local response in connection with the facilities.

Capabilities• Role under the

NRF/ ESF 11• Engaging in support

missions related to household pets, regulated facilities or other missions related to AC’s capabilities.

Conclusion

You should have information about:• Core state and local roles in planning and response

for animals• APHIS AC’s role in animal emergency management• APHIS Mobilization Guide• AC EP Employee Development Plan• Understand animal emergency response missions

Questions?

Acknowledgements

This course was developed by the Center for Food Security and Public Health at Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine under a cooperative agreement with USDA APHIS Animal Care Emergency Programs.