“We are simulating a wind event where we had people and animals displaced. Some have been involved in contaminated water,” said Joe Kight, the state of Florida lead for SART’s Emergency Support Function 17 (ESF 17), which hosts these workshops in counties throughout the state.
To really challenge the agencies’ knowledge and abilities, officials invited volunteers from the community to bring their pets in to pose as disaster “victims.”
“If I can help, I’m happy to help,” said volunteer James Martin. “And my boy, Rudy, my mini-schnauzer, he wanted to help, too.”
Martin and Rudy went through an intake process that included having Rudy’s vital information taken, a decontamination bath and an examination for any injuries or adverse symptoms before treatment and check-in at the mock animal shelter on site.
“Rudy was lethargic and dehydrated with bad mucus membranes, but they fixed him up and now I guess we’re going to check in at the doggy daycare here,” Martin said.
Rudy was in good health, of course, but officials often assign fake symptoms in preparedness exercises for practice.
“I think they did a really good job,” he said.
Kight emphasized the importance of having disaster plans for animals, as his agency has seen through the years that, without plans for animals, people often refuse to evacuate or take other safety precautions.
“Instead of evacuating on time, they stay because they don’t have anything to do with their pets,” he said.
The tendency — especially after Hurricane Katrina in 2005 — led to the Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards Act of 2006. The act requires state and local emergency plans to include the well being of household pets and service animals. To that end, Kight says his team tries to keep animals and their owners together as much as possible
“It keeps the owner calm; it keeps the animal calm. Nobody can take of their animals better than the owners. We try to emphasize that structure,” he said.
Bay County Animal Services division manager Kathy Beatson said live practice like Sunday’s is important and more helpful than just knowing the disaster plans.
“Believe me, the reality of it, when you get in a situation like this, even when you have it all pretty on paper, that’s not how it works in real life. It never does,” she said.
Although Bay County’s disaster response teams don’t have a lot of opportunities for such workshops, Beatson said they did well Sunday.
- “I’m confident that our group of people in this community can get together and put anything together that we need,” she said.
Other participating agencies included Bay County Fire Rescue and Hazmat, The American Red Cross, Florida Department of Health in Bay County, Florida Baptist Disaster Relief, the Medical Reserve Corps, Panama City Fire Department Light Technical Rescue Team, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Division of Animal Industries, University of Florida IFAS and College of Veterinary Medicine, Florida Veterinary Medical Association Veterinary Reserve Corps, Florida State Animal Response Coalition, Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine and others.
The St. Andrews Fire Department participated off-site with an animal rescue simulation of its own involving a horse mannequin trapped in mud.
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©2016 The News Herald (Panama City, Fla.)
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