Vets can play key role in emergencies

When an emergency strikes – a disease outbreak, natural disaster, act of terrorism or some kind of accident – will the animals be taken care of? And if so, by whom? Ten years ago, such questions were not necessarily top of mind. But because of various catastrophes visited upon the United States and elsewhere since then, they are being asked – and answered too.

Hurricane Katrina in 2005 demonstrated that animal welfare is an important part of disaster planning, says David Chico VMD, MPH, emergency programs, New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, who spoke on the topic at the recent New York State Veterinary Conference at Cornell University. The strong human/animal bond is such that some pet owners may put themselves in harm’s way in order to save their pets. They did so after Katrina. In fact, a survey by the American Kennel Club found that 62 percent of respondents said they would defy mandatory evacuation orders if there were no provisions for animals.

Lesson No. 1, then, is that animal welfare should be part of any emergency-preparedness plan. Lesson No. 2 is that planning must indeed occur before disaster strikes. Katrina was another case in point, though by no means the only one.

‘Complete lack of organization’
“There was a complete lack of organization in the response,” says Chico. “Another thing we learned is how troublesome self-deployment is. People come, they want to help, they start to do things; but they don’t fit into the support structure.” So efforts are duplicated, resources are wasted, and animals can actually suffer in the process. For example, without a coordinated evacuation effort, it may be difficult if not impossible to reunite pets with their owners after the emergency has passed.

Nor does disaster only affect the companion animal population. The past 10 years alone have witnessed an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in the United Kingdom in 2001, and exotic Newcastle disease in Southern California in 2002. “And one thing we worry about is the continued threat that someone will intentionally introduce disease into the livestock population to cause economic disruption,” says Chico.

In October 2006, one year after Katrina, the federal government enacted the Pets Evacuation Transportation Standards Act, which mandated that state and local governments incorporate the needs of animals in their comprehensive emergency plans. (Only companion and service animals are covered.) Some states, including the State of New York, followed suit with their own versions of the federal legislation.

But even before then, stimulated largely by the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, the federal government took steps to ensure that emergency preparedness plans were in place, and that animal welfare was included in them. The role of local and state governments vis-à-vis that of the federal government was addressed, as well as the role of veterinarians in emergencies. Three key programs are the National Incident Management System, National Response Plan and Incident Command System.

Post-Sept. 11
One of the most comprehensive programs to emerge following Sept. 11 was the National Incident Management System, or NIMS. Launched in March 2004 by the Department of Homeland Security, the system is designed to provide a consistent nationwide template to enable federal, state, local and tribal governments, as well as private-sector and non-governmental organizations, to work together to prepare for, prevent, respond to and recover from domestic incidents. Adoption of the system by state and local organizations is a condition for receiving federal preparedness assistance (through grants, contracts, etc.).

The NIMS provides a set of standardized organizational structures – such as the Incident Command System (see below), multiagency coordination systems, and public information systems – as well as requirements for processes, procedures, and systems designed to improve the coordination of the efforts of various jurisdictions and disciplines. Areas addressed include training, resource management, personnel qualification and certification, equipment certification, communications and information management, technology support, and continuous system improvement. (To read the NIMS, go to http://www.fema.gov/good_guidance/download/10243.)

Using the framework provided by the NIMS, the National Response Plan provides the foundation for national-level policy and operational direction for federal support to state, local, and tribal incident managers; as well as the ground rules for exercising direct federal authorities and responsibilities as appropriate under the law. It forms the basis of how the federal government coordinates its activities with those of local and state governments, as well as the private sector. (For more information on the NRP, go to http://www.aphis.usda.gov/publications/animal_health/content/printable_version/fs_ahnrp.pdf.)

Under the NRP, resources are grouped into Emergency Support Functions (ESFs) that would most likely be needed during a domestic incident. ESF-11 specifically addresses the protection of agriculture and natural resources, and is coordinated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. ESF-11 calls for the department’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) to coordinate response efforts. (It was APHIS that coordinated efforts to eradicate exotic Newcastle disease in California.)

A key component of the NIMS is the Incident Command System, which addresses how responses to incidents should be managed (or “commanded”), and by whom. The system sets up a chain of command, and calls for common terminology, standards and procedures – a necessity when diverse organizations are called upon to work together to solve a problem. The Incident Command System “sets up a command structure so that everyone understands who reports to whom, and what their role is in an emergency,” says Chico. The system recognizes the right of local authorities to assume as much responsibility and to do as much of the work as possible in emergency situations. “But when assistance is needed at a higher level, that’s where things need to be standardized,” says Chico. (For more information on the Incident Command System, consult the NIMS Web site at http://www.fema.gov/good_guidance/download/10243.)

Vets get involved
It is difficult for local, state and even federal authorities to respond to massive animal-disease outbreaks or acts of terrorism without assistance from the private sector, especially veterinarians and veterinary techs. And today, vets can choose one of several ways to get involved in emergency management services. Here are a few.

County Animal Response Teams (CARTs). Participants on a CART can be any individual in a community (not just vets or vet techs) willing to assist emergency management officials with emergencies or disasters affecting animals. CARTS are the actual responding units to an emergency, deployed by county emergency management. They are more likely to be mobilized to respond to such issues as rescue and sheltering needs related to local disasters and incidents, as opposed to significant animal disease outbreak in the state, says Todd Johnson, DVM, area emergency coordinator, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Albany, N.Y.

CART volunteers usually have to take basic online training classes covering such things as the Incident Command System and the National Incident Management System. Having taken the training classes, individuals are considered volunteer state employees during activation and as such, are entitled to worker’s compensation and liability.

CARTS are supported by State Animal Response Teams, or SARTs, a concept developed in North Carolina following Hurricane Floyd in 1999. The SART provides specialized training, planning guidance, resource coordination and information concerning regulatory actions and best practices; they are not designed to be technical or field response units. Like those in the CARTs, SART members must have a basic familiarity with the National Incident Management System and the Incident Command System. (For a listing of key contacts in states with SARTs, go to http://sartusa.org/states/states.php.)

National Animal Health Emergency Response Corps (NAHERC). This organization was established in 2001 by the Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service to respond to exotic disease outbreaks and other disasters that affect livestock, poultry, companion animals and wildlife, says Johnson. NAHERC volunteers have assisted with the eradication of foot-and-mouth disease in the United Kingdom, the outbreak of low-pathogenic avian influenza in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, and exotic Newcastle disease in California. NAHERC participants must either be veterinarians with a valid U.S. veterinary diploma; animal health technicians or veterinary techs with a diploma and/or equivalent experience; or others whose eligibility is determined on a case-by-case basis. When mobilized, volunteers become temporary, salaried USDA-APHIS employees, and as such, are reimbursed for travel and lodging. Overtime pay and worker’s compensation is provided. Tours are generally 21 to 30 days.

Veterinary Medical Assistance Teams (funded primarily by the American Veterinary Medical Foundation). At the request of state authorities, these teams of volunteers provide emergency response programs to animal health authorities and preparedness programs to states, veterinary medical associations and other relevant organizations. Their duties include early assessment of veterinary conditions and need, primary field care to augment overwhelmed local capabilities, and emergency-related training for state veterinary associations, professionals and colleges. The VMAT program encompasses two types of field teams, each with four to six members: 1) an early assessment team, which deploys for 72 hours; and 2) a basic care team, which deploys initially for five days.

Veterinary Emergency Corps. The state of New York is developing a (paid) volunteer corps comprised of veterinarians and veterinary technicians to assist state and federal veterinarians during a significant animal disease outbreak or other overwhelming event. Individuals will be asked to complete training similar to those required for CART volunteers, and they will operate as temporary state employees while participating.