Animal Emergency Management Exercises

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APHIS Animal Care is seeking proposals that are consistent with one of the following key priority areas. These priorities cover a wide range of activities and ideally, one project could be awarded for each priority. 1. Catastrophic Planning – Multi-Jurisdictional Resource Coordination A multi-state/tribal nation/territory disaster response exercise pertaining to companion animal issues a. Suggested features of the exercise scenario • Include actual or simulated coordination units for household pets at the State Emergency Operations Center (EOC) (or at a supporting agency EOC, if appropriate), a FEMA Initial Operating Facility (IOF) or Joint Field Office (JFO), FEMA Regional Resource Coordination Centers (RRCCs), and APHIS EOC. • Include multiple state, tribal, territorial requesting actions (such as Action Request Forms requesting Federal assistance, State-to-State mutual aid via the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC), and requests to non-governmental organizations). b. Suggested collaboration • Include roles for federal ESF #6, ESF #11, and FEMA Operations • State Departments of Agriculture and Emergency Management • Multiple states, tribal nations, or territories in more than one FEMA region • Member organizations of the National Animal Rescue and Sheltering Coalition (NARSC) 2. Catastrophic Planning – Just-In-Time Training An exercise that identifies animal sheltering job functions that could be performed by emergent volunteers, and develops/documents just-in-time training for emergent volunteers on how to successfully perform those animal shelter functions to augment deployed staffing when fully trained personnel resources are limited or unavailable (such as during a catastrophic incident) a. Suggested features of the exercise scenario • Limit scope to animal sheltering/mass care services • Identify job functions that could be performed safely and appropriately by emergent volunteers • Prepare lesson plans and training materials to provide just-in-time training to emergent volunteers • Pilot/test delivery of training materials and revise materials based on pilot feedback b. Suggested collaboration • APHIS, Animal Care • State Departments of Agriculture, Emergency Management, or Office of Volunteerism, or Land-Grant Universities • State Animal Response Teams (SARTs), local animal control agencies, or animal welfare organizations • Member organizations of the National Animal Rescue and Sheltering Coalition (NARSC) • National Alliance of State Animal and Agricultural Emergency Programs (NASAAEP) Sheltering Best Practice Working Group 3. Catastrophic Planning – Animal Containment Systems An exercise that tests and develops best practice specification sheets for the construction of safe and effective animal caging and kenneling facilities from readily available materials (such as panels, wire fencing, etc.) for use in a catastrophic incident when factory-built animal cages and kennels are not available or supplies are insufficient a. Suggested features of the exercise scenario • Design and produce a limited number of cages and kennels • Evaluate cost and usability of fabricated cages and kennels (functionality, durability, safety, cleaning, etc.) • Prepare technical sheets for the reproduction of usable designs b. Suggested collaboration • APHIS, Animal Care • State Departments of Agriculture or Emergency Management • State Animal Response Teams (SARTs), local animal control agencies, or animal welfare organizations • Member organizations of the National Animal Rescue and Sheltering Coalition (NARSC) • NASAAEP Sheltering Best Practice Working Group 4. Contingency Planning for AWA-Regulated Facilities – Foreign Animal Disease Outbreak An exercise scenario simulating a foreign animal disease outbreak affecting or threatening one or more zoological facilities a. Suggested features of the exercise scenario • Conduct a workshop or tabletop exercise • Engage appropriate local, state, tribal, and territorial animal health officials b. Suggested collaboration • APHIS: Veterinary Services, Animal Care • State, local, tribal, or territorial animal health officials • At least one national zoological network or association • One or more zoological facilities

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