The Tennessee Animal Disaster Plan Oak Ridge Emergency Management Forum Oak Ridge, Tennessee October 18, 2007 Robert Linnabary, DVM, MSc. Tennessee Department of Agriculture Disaster Animal Response Coordinator

The Emergency Support Function Concept of Operation  The Tennessee Emergency Management Plan (TEMP) and the county Basic Emergency Operations Plan (BEOP) are the state and county emergency plans  The ESF Concept of Operations mirror each other in number assignment and function

The National Response Plan (NRP)  Similar to the TEMP and County BEOP but has minor variation in ESF numbering and function  Disaster animal care plans are ESF 16 in TEMP as ESF 16 and under NRP ESF 11 (Agriculture)

The TEMP ESF Concept of Operation ESF 1 – Transportation ESF 2 – Communications ESF 3 – Infrastructure ESF 4 – Firefighting ESF 5 – Infrastructure & Planning ESF 6 – Human Resources ESF 7 – Resource Support ESF 8 – Health & Medical ESF 9 – Search and Rescue ESF 10 – Environmental Response ESF 11 – Food ESF 12 – Energy ESF 13 – Law Enforcement ESF 14 – Donations and Volunteers ESF 15 – Recovery ESF 16 – Animal Care and Housing

Emergency Support Function 16  Began development in 1997  No template for state disaster animal care plan available  Knox and Lincoln Counties had animal care plans prior to 1997  All state agencies and 2 federal agencies took part  Several non-governmental agencies and organizations  3 humane associations and all production animal groups were represented

ESF 16 Development  ESF 16 lead agency is the TN Department of Agriculture  Since all disasters occur locally, there was a conscious effort to have a plan applicable to local needs  Plan contains 7 sub-functions accounting for the variety of animals found in Tennessee

ESF 16 Construction  ESF 16 Sub-Function 1 – Companion Animals Sub-Function 2 – Equine Sub-function 3 – Livestock Sub-Function 4 – Wildlife and non-Domestic Species Sub-Function 5 – Concentrated Livestock and Poultry Sub-Function 6 – Aquatic Species Sub-Function 7 – Infectious Animal Disease Outbreaks Each annex describes the situations and policies and each annex has a Standard Operations Procedure (SOP) which are the response and recovery guidelines for the ESF 16

ESF 16  After Hurricane Katrina, all ESFs in the TEMP were updated to comply with the NRP and the National Incident Management System (NIMS)  All “Standard Operations Procedures” were changed to the Disaster Operations Guides (DOG)  The new TEMP was adopted in February, 2007

ESF 16 Response (DOG)  The ESF 16 Disaster Operations Guide defines the organization and function of the Disaster Animal Response Team (DART)  All ESFs in the TEMP have a response phase and ESF 16 response is through the DART  The DARTs are developed in the counties with local responders and are under county command and control  With the uniqueness of each county, no two DARTs are expected to be the same

The County DART:  Follows the state ESF 16 formula as close as possible  Have responders for the animals as defined by the 7 sub-functions (avian, equine, livestock, wildlife and non-domestic species)  County DART Teams should consist of:

EOC ▼ DART leader Grief counselors Disposal PIO Security Identification & recovery Field ICP DART Field leader Follow up letters Companion animal leader Livestock leader Equine leader Zoo & non- domestic leader Evacuation Transportation Host sites Assistance Special equipment Veterinarians Evacuation Transportation Host sites Assistance Special equipment Veterinarians Evacuation Transportation Host sites Assistance Special equipment Veterinarians Evacuation Transportation Host sites Assistance Special equipment Veterinarians County Scheme Modular

Strike teams to be added for disease outbreaks  Surveillance  Diagnostic  Evaluation & Compensation  Euthanasia  Disposal  Cleaning and Disinfection  Biosecurity  Others

Resource Typing and Credentialing  Credentialing of the DART responder is a function of the ESF 16  All animal responders must be credentialed prior to responding to a call up  Credentialing identifies the person, licensing, certificates, training, and capabilities  Credentialing is a function of the TDA and shared with the county EMA/DART  Resource typing is a by-product of credentialing

Resource Typing and Credentialing  A person may be credentialed as a: Veterinarian Veterinary technician Extension Service Volunteer (animal owner, animal control, etc) Administration  There are approximately 1325 persons credentialed in Tennessee representing each the above activity groups and in all counties

Credentialing Class Includes:  Incident Command System – IS 100, 200  National Incident Management System - IS 700  How ICS is utilized in an animal related disaster  Knowledge of TEMA & the TEMP  Knowledge of ESF 16  Basic Biosecurity  Foreign Animal Diseases overview  Reporting of FADs and TDA/USDA Response  Emerging Disease Issues  Submit Application  Sign TN DART Code of Conduct

 To be credentialed, person must also take: ICS 100 ICS 200 NIMS IS-700

The Badge

New Laws Affecting the Care of Pets During Disasters  Tennessee Emergency Management Plan ’07 All human emergency shelters are pet friendly Only service dogs are permitted into the shelters but there must be provision for caring for the pets brought to the shelter by their owners These animals can be co-located, housed in nearby kennels & veterinary hospitals or fostered

 Congressional amendment to the Stafford Act H.R. 3858: The Pets Evacuation and transportation Standards Act of 2006 (Shays/Lantos Bill, Pets Act, No pet Left behind Act) Mandates that all states and counties provide care for pets during disasters

Conclusions  The county Basic Emergency Operations Plan, the state Tennessee Emergency Management Plan and the federal National Response Plan each have an Emergency Support Function that addresses animals during disasters  The ESF 16 to the TEMP is one of the oldest state disaster animal care plans  ESF 16 contains 7 sub-functions to address the needs of all groups of animals

 ESF 16 is an All animal – All Hazard plan  The Standard Operations Procedure of the ESF 16 is now called the Disaster Operations Guide (DOG)  The DOG describes the response phase of ESF 16 and includes the Disaster Animal Response Team (DART) and credentialing of animal care workers

 The DART is developed and administered by the counties  Credentialing is a method for identifying animal care workers  Credentialing is a means of resource typing individuals for their training and capabilities  New state and federal laws mandate that all states and counties provide shelter and care for animals during disasters

Questions?