Veterinarians Volunteer for Emergency Response Teams

The state has recruited, trained, and organized nearly 180 private practitioners and veterinary technicians in Oregon who can help during an event that requires a lot of emergency assistance.

(SALEM, Ore.) - It’s the animal health world’s version of a volunteer fire department. But instead of firefighters, a team of veterinarians and technicians can now be called upon to help during an animal health emergency or a disaster event that affects animals.

The Oregon Department of Agriculture has recruited, trained, and organized nearly 180 private practitioners and veterinary technicians around the state who can help during an event that requires a lot of emergency assistance.

“We rely on the private veterinary community to help us accomplish our mission,” says ODA’s Don Hansen, state veterinarian. “Deputized private practitioners perform regulatory animal health functions every day, and serve as a ready reserve to assist us in controlling disease outbreaks and responding to many man made or natural disasters involving animals.”

With just four veterinarians on staff, ODA does not have enough people and resources to handle a major disease outbreak in animals or to respond to such events as floods, fires, and earthquakes– all emergencies that impact pets and other animals. By enlisting the help of private veterinarians and technicians forming two separate response teams– one for animal diseases, the other for natural or man made disasters– Oregon can more effectively protect pets and livestock from calamitous events.

“We can’t do it alone,” says ODA staff veterinarian Dan Jemelka. “ODA is responsible for responding during the first 48 hours of a highly contagious disease by initiating a quarantine, preventing livestock movement, and preventing spread of the disease. This is where we need the help of private veterinarians in the field. We train them to be qualified in the Incident Command System (ICS), and in such activities as disease surveillance, sampling, and wearing protective clothing. These are the people who will help us initially contain a foreign animal disease in Oregon.”

Of the two private practitioner groups created by ODA, the Oregon Veterinary Emergency Response Team deals with infectious animal diseases that could be economically devastating to the state’s livestock industries. This volunteer group got its start several years ago after former State Veterinarian Andrew Clark saw the United Kingdom deal with an outbreak of foot and mouth disease. Clark felt mobilizing the personnel needed to handle such a large event required help from the private sector. The plan to use private vets took on more urgency following the terrorist attack of September 11, 2001. The events of 9/11 provided a platform for a veterinary response team plan to move forward as the threat of bioterrorism became more plausible.

Outbreaks of Exotic Newcastle Disease in California poultry and highly pathogenic avian influenza in Canada north of Washington State gave momentum to the veterinary response team idea.

“Chances are we are either going to face these animal diseases in Oregon through accidental introduction or through terrorism,” says Jemelka. “So we need to be vigilant and prepared to respond.”

Another event on US soil led to the formation of a second volunteer unit of private vets. Hurricane Katrina slammed into the Gulf Coast in 2005. Closer to home in 2007, floods threatened several communities in northwest Oregon. Both events showed that animals, as well as people, can be imperiled during natural disasters and may need to be evacuated or treated. That led to both federal and state legislation to create emergency response plans for animals in disasters. ODA created a document to be used by all 36 counties providing guidelines for local responses. The document deals with both livestock and pets.

“More and more, we have to realize that pets are members of the family, and people will not evacuate during a disaster without their pets,” says Jemelka.

As is the case with animal disease response plans, ODA recognized it would take much more people power to properly handle pets and livestock during a natural or man made disaster. Once again, the call went out for private veterinarians to volunteer for a new disaster response team. Currently, 40 private practitioners– many of them already trained in the animal disease response team– have stepped forward to serve in the new group. They have received extensive training in ICS, and know how to respond and assist animals involved in disasters. They will receive official credentials later this month so that county emergency managers and other local response officials know they have been trained. Credentials include an identification badge which lists the training they’ve received and the types of animals they have expertise in handling.

These veterinarians will be able and willing to travel anywhere they are needed throughout the state.

“We need veterinarians to be able to respond to animal medical needs in disasters,” says Jemelka. “We need qualified people to assess those medical issues and treat them when possible. These veterinarians may need to go through a triage process like human doctors do in a mass casualty situation.”

Any response to a disaster would begin at a local level. Depending on the disaster scenario, the search and rescue of animals could stay local and not require additional help. But the larger the disaster, the greater the chance that state or regional resources would be needed. Having a dedicated group of private veterinarians to help state and federal officials makes the task less daunting.

ODA has encouraged practicing veterinarians to give back to the community by joining one of the two response teams. Many have heard the call and are ready to respond. It’s clear that a team approach is needed. Nobody can predict if, when, and where an animal disease outbreak will occur or a natural disaster will take place. But to have a group of trained, qualified professionals ready to respond can make the difference in keeping any situation under control, and protecting livestock and pets as best as possible.