Every year, hurricanes, tornadoes, hazardous-materials incidents, floods, earthquakes and other disasters threaten the animals who are so important to our lives. Members of The HSUS National Disaster Animal Response Team (NDART?) learn how to prepare their families, help their community be better prepared and rescue and shelter animals when a disaster or crisis happens in their community or across the country.
If you are interested in joining HSUS NDART? please read information on the following topics and recommended/required training:
Prepare Your Family and Pets Volunteer at your Local Animal Shelter Training: NDART? and Emergency Animal Sheltering Training Federal Emergency Management Agency Training Help Other Organizations The HSUS National Disaster Animal Response Team Application to Join NDART? Prepare Your Family and Pets
As a trained responder, your first priority is to make sure your family and pets are taken care of when a disaster or crisis strikes. Make a plan now, because when they are safe, you will be a more effective responder.
Volunteer at Your Local Animal Shelter ?iStockphoto Volunteering builds great skills.
Start volunteering at your local animal shelter to gain practical experience in animal care and handling. This is excellent experience you can gain right in your own community.
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Independent Study Program
Any disaster responder, whether paid or volunteer, must take the following courses in order to be part of disaster response:
Incident Command System (IS 100) Incident Command System for Single Resources/Initial Action Incidents (IS 200) National Incident Management System (NIMS), an Introduction (IS 700) The HSUS strongly recommends all its responders take the following FEMA courses:
Animals in Disaster: Module A隆陋Awareness and Preparedness (IS 10) Animals in Disaster: Module B隆陋Community Planning (IS 11) Livestock in Disasters (IS 111) The FEMA Independent Study program has many useful and informative courses, which are quick and easy to take at home. For those interested in holding a supervisory-level position during a disaster, please review the information contained in the FEMA Fact Sheet.
Help Other Organizations Active in Disaster Response
Are you unsure how you would react in a disaster situation, or even in a small-scale local emergency? Get some practical experience close to home and help your community, too.
American Red Cross: While the Red Cross does not have response teams for animals, many local emergencies involving families do involve their pets. By being part of your local Red Cross Disaster Action Team (DAT), you can help pets and people, too. The Red Cross does not set up shelters for pets, but they do care about pets in emergencies. They need to work with local humane groups to help the community provide disaster services to families with companion animals.
Locate your local American Red Cross chapter and look for these recommended classes for NDART? volunteers:
Human first aid/CPR Pet first aid/CPR Mass Care Shelter Operations Introduction to Disaster Services Citizens Emergency Response Teams: The CERT program teaches you how to take care of your household and neighborhood until more help can arrive. CERT also trains citizens to be better prepared to respond to emergency situations in their communities. When emergencies happen, CERT members can give critical support to first responders, provide immediate assistance to victims, and organize spontaneous volunteers at a disaster site. CERT members can also help with non-emergency projects that help improve the safety of the community.
The HSUS Disaster Animal Response Team
The HSUS National Disaster Animal Response Team consists of animal care and control professionals, emergency services and rescue professionals, and other qualified volunteers. Team members are trained in community disaster response and preparedness as well as specialized response techniques for rescuing animals affected by disasters.
R. Covey/The HSUS NDART volunteers help with all aspects of a response. If you have skills and experience in animal handling, emergency/public services, or other disaster work and are interested in joining our DART, please explore the self-study courses listed above. Once you have taken several of these courses, particularly the FEMA Independent Study Programs, please visit the HSUS Animal Disaster Response Training Calendar to see when and where you can take HSUS disaster courses. Because of the overwhelming response from people wishing to be volunteers, please understand that it may take a little while for us to get back to you.
To apply to become a member of the HSUS National Disaster Animal Response Team, please fill out the application at www.ndart.org.
Thank you for your support, and please make sure you have a disaster plan for your own family, including pets!
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