EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT


part-time employee, an employee with additional du- ties, to a multi-person unit depending on the size of the jurisdiction. Animal-focused plans that are needed in all jurisdictions include emergency animal evacuation, rescue, veterinary medical support, mortuary manage- ment, and sheltering plans. Many emergency man- agers do not have animal-specific knowledge and may be unaware of many of the nuances that must be considered when planning for owners. They may also be unaware of the implications of the human-animal bond and the financial and cultural significance of agricultural species. The diversity of thought re- quired to achieve the best plan requires a diverse au- dience of planning participants including veterinary medical professionals, extension agents, animal con- trol officers, animal sheltering and welfare organiza- tions, and representatives from agricultural entities.


Regional


Counties may elect to join and develop regional emergency plans. This may be performed when two counties agree to support each other and involve multiple counties organized into Councils of Govern- ments. Regional planning allows resources to be pooled to support larger-scale responses.


State


The responsibility for planning for animals at the state level is typically ceded to Departments of Ag- riculture or Animal Health Regulatory Agencies. The Texas Animal Health Commission is the lead agency in Texas and is responsible for leading plan- ning efforts for both household pets and livestock.


Federal


The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in the Department of Homeland Security is the lead entity at the federal level. FEMA has del- egated part of this responsibility to the United States Department of Agriculture in the case of in- fectious diseases in agriculturally important species and Department of Health and Human Service in the case of veterinary medical support. The Na- tional Guard also serves as a significant federal re- source and has historically received mission assignments supporting animals.


Types of Emergency Plans


The two types of plans important to this discussion are operational and tactical plans.


● Operational plans link strategic or high-level goals with tactical plans. Protecting animal health and welfare is an example of a stra- tegic goal. Operational plans define the mis- sions, objectives, and responsibilities of what the plan is to accomplish and who will be responsible for accomplishing each component. “Who” is of- ten defined as a department or agency rather than an individual. Operational plans should address animal evacuation, rescue, shelter, vet-


erinary medical support, and carcass disposal or mortuary management.


● Tactical plans are focused on how missions will be accomplished and how operations will be performed. Tactical planning is critically im- portant to the animal-focused areas of emer- gency planning given the diversity of the stakeholders and the fact that few of these stakeholders are directly involved as first responders on a daily basis. Tactical plans should detail the approaches to be used for animal evacuation, rescue, shelter, veterinary medical support, and carcass disposal or mor- tuary management. Tactical plans for a spe- cific function should be developed prior to an incident and then reviewed and adjusted as daily mission requirements evolve.


Emergency Planning Process


A complete discussion of the planning process is be- yond the scope of what can be provided in this presen- tation and proceedings. The following should be considered an overview discussion. The following points of consideration should be addressed regardless of which tactical plan is being developed.


Hazards and Risks


Identify the risks and hazards that have the po- tential to result in the need for emergency opera- tions. This analysis should be broad and include natural disasters, including infectious diseases manmade or incited, incidents, and transportation accidents. It can be helpful to categorize the haz- ard by likelihood and consequence.


Animal Populations


Identify the approximate number of each species. The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) Pet Calculator provides an estimate of pet populations based on the human population.4 It is important to note that the AVMA Pet Calculator pro- vides estimates for the horse population as well. The estimate that is provided is based on national averages and may need to be adjusted for regions where horse ownership is more prevalent. It is im- portant to note that agricultural animals can be very difficult to evacuate out of harm’s way and also present unique challenges during the response scenario.


Available Resources


A key part of the planning process is identifying resources that will or may be available for emer- gency response purposes. Resource categories to consider include the following:


● Human resources: The diverse groups that are necessary have been previously dis- cussed. The important consideration is to in- clude them in the planning process. Consider including personnel from the fire department when working on a tactical animal rescue plan.


AAEP PROCEEDINGS  Vol. 66  2020 5


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