Vol. 4, No. 8, August 2008

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 Contents



FDACS/WIFSS Offer Agroterrorism Courses

FDACS?Office of Agricultural Emergency Preparedness is partnering with the Western Institute of Food Safety and Security (WIFSS) to sponsor DHS Certified Agroterrorism Courses during October 2008.

AWR-151 "Awareness: Understanding the Dangers of Agroterrorism?br> ?Tuesday, October 7 in Tallahassee from 1:00 to 5:00 PM
?Wednesday, October 8 in Macclenny from 8:00 AM to Noon
?Thursday, October 9 in Plantation from 1:00 to 4:30 PM

AWR-152 "Preparedness: Principles of Preparedness for Agroterrorism and Food Systems' Disasters?br> ?Tuesday, October 14 in Homestead from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM
?Wednesday, October 15 in Belle Glade from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM
?Thursday, October 16 in Seffner from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM

(AWR-151 is recommended, but not a required pre-requisite for AWR-152.)

To register or for additional information go to the WIFSS websites:
Registration: http://wifss.ucdavis.edu/agroterrorism/classes/classesbydate.php
Course Information: http://wifss.ucdavis.edu/agroterrorism/classes/course_desc.php

Thanks to a DHS grant through WIFSS, all courses are free notes Art Johnstone, Director of the Office of Agricultural Emergency Preparedness. Johnstone may be reached at his office (850) 410-6758 or via his mobile phone (850) 251-4184.

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Equine Technical Rescue Course

 
"Oh let the Moose swing free!?Large Animal
Technical Rescue is taught at the UF College of
Veterinary Medicine. (John Haven photo)
According to John Haven, Director
of the UF College of Veterinary
Medicine (havenj@vetmed.ufl.edu),
the College is offering a week-long
Technical-Rescue-for-Large-Animals
course from August 25 to 29.

"This is not the TLAER class,?
Haven says. "This is a rope rigging
and mechanical advantage class
which takes the concepts from
TLAER to the next level. It is 'Rope
Rescue - Operations Level,?relative
to the National Fire Protection
Association standard 1670,
Operations and Training for
Technical Rescue Incidents
.

"We will provide this training in accordance with the requirements of both NFPA 1670 and 1006 standards for Professional Qualifications for Rescue Technicians, Rope Rescue, Level 1. The program is compliant with the hourly requirements of the Florida Urban Search and Rescue training format and will require all personnel to complete a 40-hour Rope Rescue Operations-level course.

"Normally taught in five 8-hour days, the course will be tailored to address special issues in equine rescue. We have a scholarship for Vet Corps members, but I need to know by Wednesday July 30th if you are interested. Seating is very limited. The cost per student will be $1,100 and students must attend the entire week.?

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FVMA Sponsors Disaster Medicine Symposium

"Managing Small, Large and Exotic Animals?is the theme for the upcoming Disaster Medicine Symposium. Sponsored by the Florida Veterinary Medical Association and the Pasco Animal Response Team it will be held on Sunday September 7th and hosted at the SPCA Tampa Bay Humane Education & Training Center in Largo.

In a disaster, neighbors may ask for help with exotic species which you are not prepared to assist. (Nieworld.com)
"Providing medical care and comfort to animals in the aftermath of disaster is a challenge!?Thus, the Symposium is designed to help:
  • Improve your overall understanding of Disaster Management
  • Develop your practice's disaster preparedness plan
  • Be better prepared to address staff and client questions concerning disaster preparedness and pet friendly shelters
  • Learn what the Florida and County plans are in the event a hurricane strikes
  • Learn about the various roles of the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), the SPCA Tampa Bay, other animal organizations and local area Disaster Animal Response Teams (DART).
  • Registration deadline is August 29th. The Symposium will be held at the SPCA Tampa Bay Humane Education & Training Center, 9099 130th Ave. N, Largo, FL 33773.

    Fees are Veterinarians $25; all others $15 (Veterinary Technicians and Office Staff, Animal Shelter & Animal Rescue Organization Personnel, and Disaster Responders). Registration and Program links are available on line at www.fvma.com. You can also register through the USPS by check payable and mailed to: Florida Veterinary Medical Association Foundation, 7131 Lake Ellenor Dr., Orlando, FL 32809. (For particular questions contact Raquel Aluisy at raquel.aluisy@verizonwireless.com.)


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    Through The Grapevine: The first 48 hours


    "At the state level, we expect that counties will be able to stand on their own for the first 48 hours following a disaster.?/font>
    Joe Kight, Senior Management Analyst II
    ESF-17 ECO, FDACS, DAI
    407 S Calhoun St., Tallahassee, Fl. 32399
    (850) 410-0920 kightj@doacs.state.fl.us



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    Preparedness and Response to Agricultural Terrorism

    Marion County Fire Rescue and The Villages Fire Rescue are hosting Preparedness and Response to Agricultural Terrorism (MGT 322). "The course is open to all fields,?notes Ken Smithgall, CFO, Battalion Chief, Special Operations for Marion County Fire-Rescue, "and I thought we should alert Florida's SART community about this class.?br>
    The course will be held at Colony Cottage Recreation Center, The Villages, from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm September 9-11. Training is provided by LSU's National Center for Biomedical Research and Training.
    Hot Stuff!
    A demonstration by firefighters from
    Ocala and Marion County supported by
    the Florida State Fire College and
    Community Technical and Adult
    Education. (Famafemsagac.org)
    Smithgall is the point of contact and registration. Anyone interested may contact him at (352) 291-8000 or kenneth.smithgall@marioncountyfl.org.


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    I-300 It's Happening! Are You?

    Martha Wagaman, SNS/CRI Coordinator (Martha_Wagaman@doh.state.fl.us) from Jacksonville/Duval County alertly emailed a note recently which read, "Even though there may be only one more I-300 being offered through SART, there are more I-300 courses offered free of charge and open to SART members through the State DEM website (www.floridadisaster.org/Trainingcalendar/index.asp) and in Duval County through Dawn Wood (dawnwood@coj.net) in our EOC.?

    The remaining SART-sponsored I-300 course open to general members of the SART community is September 18-20 at the UF College of Veterinary Medicine in Gainesville. The course is limited to 18 students per class and there is no charge to attend. To sign up contact
    FDACS-DAI's Gary Painter at (863) 519-8470, cell (863) 698-6377 painteg@doacs.state.fl.us.
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    Florida CERT

    [CERT, SART what's the difference? Here's a note from the Florida Division of Emergency Management (DEM) Summer Newsletter.]

    In April, DEM brought online a new website, www.FloridaDisaster.org/CitizenCorps, to provide information on Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT) and the Citizen Corps. The site allows those interested to apply to become a member of a CERT team and find information on CERT teams and Citizen Corps councils.

    "Following a disaster, volunteers play a huge role helping communities recover,?said Craig Fugate, DEM Director.

    CERT trains residents to be prepared for emergencies. Local teams receive training in disaster preparedness, disaster fire safety, disaster medical operations, light search and rescue, terrorism, communications, disaster
    psychology, and team organization. CERT teams provide immediate assistance to victims, collect disaster information to support first responder efforts, and provide the first neighborhood help in the immediate hours following an emergency.

    Trained CERT teams can save lives and protect property. With training, practice, and teamwork, CERT members will be able to do the "greatest good for the greatest number?after a disaster...while preventing themselves from becoming victims.


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    College Partners with County
    To Offer Community Emergency Response Training

    [Lois Sargent, DVM, SART member, and Veterinary Technology Program Coordinator at Miami Dade College's Medical Campus wants the Florida community to know that the spirit of preparedness is alive and well in South Florida. She forwarded a note ?edited in conjunction with the Florida CERT information above ?hoping to stimulate suggestions for ways to incorporate SART's pet orientation and training into CERT training. She can be reached at lsargent@mdc.edu.]

    Miami-Dade's Department of Emergency Management & Homeland Security is partnering with Miami-Dade College to offer free emergency-preparedness training.

    To register for a 20-hour CERT training course in the Miami-Dade area, visit www.mdc.edu and select non-credit enrollment. For more information about the CERT Program including scheduled classes, call (305) 468-5406 or visit www.miamidade.gov/oem/CERT.asp.

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    Week's Most Stunning Photo: Storm Surge

    (Florida Division of Emergency Management)

    A major cause of hurricane damage is "storm surge,?rising sea level due to the low pressure, high winds, and high waves associated with a hurricane at landfall. Storm surge can cause significant flooding and cost lives.

    Generally, the more intense the storm, and the closer a community is to the right-front quadrant, the larger the area that must be evacuated. The problem is always the uncertainty about how intense the storm will be when it finally makes landfall. That uncertainty must be balanced with human and economic risks. The rule of thumb for emergency managers is to plan for a storm one category higher than that which is forecast. It is a reasonable precaution to help minimize loss of life.


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    Through the Grapevine: Interview with John Haven

      What's going on now in Florida SART?
    "We need to re-engage the SART community of stakeholders," says UF's John Haven, Director of the College of Veterinary Medicine. "We need to bring everyone up to speed on where SART is and to see where their agencies, communities and organizations are in the planning process."

    Is there a malaise or loss of enthusiasm in Florida?
    John Haven supervises the resuscitation of Clifford the Big Red Dog during a UF Veterinary Medical School open house and demonstration in 2007. (Rick. Sapp photo)
    "A little, I think. After the four
    hurricanes in 2004, we were moving
    forward pretty rapidly. And after that,
    Katrina and Rita provided quite a
    wake-up call. There was Wilma, but
    SART had a great response there.
    Since then, however, with relatively
    calm hurricane seasons, I think most
    people have grown somewhat
    complacent. It is a matter of
    weighing and prioritizing all their
    responsibilities and resources.
    "Many people wear several hats, if
    you will, or are volunteers and doing
    SART on top of a day job.
    "Still, when someone tells you they 'don't have time,?what they are really saying is 'it isn't as hot a priority to me compared to all the other issues on my plate.?Many issues may be more immediately pressing, such as working through the recent budget cuts.
    "I think we can seize this general lull ?if that is what you want to call it, after all, we have had pretty serious fire seasons and tornadoes outside of hurricane season ?to take that next step in energizing SART at the county or regional level. When a storm is only a week offshore or lightning sparks a wildfire that blows through several heavily forested older neighborhoods, it's too late to begin organizing. SART really wants to bring the program to counties and help them be prepared. We have several people who regularly visit counties, clubs, and professional associations around the state to help them develop their county SART.?


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    Florida Tornado Report: High in Numbers and Damage

    Tornadoes Fatalities Injuries Millions of Dollars
    Rank State # Rank State # Rank State # Rank State #
    1 TX 7545 1 TX 537 1 TX 8155 1 TX 11,650
    2 KS 3285 2 MS 404 2 MS 5795 2 OK 7,713
    3 OK 3078 3 AL 368 3 AL 5632 3 Florida 7,291
    4 Florida 2940 4 AR 337 4 AR 4705 4 KS 5,366
    5 NE 2407 5 TN 270 5 OH 4393 5 IA 5,193
    6 IA 2053 6 OK 265 6 IN 4192 6 MO 4,662
    7 IL 1952 7 IN 248 7 OK 4115 7 MS 4,634
    8 MO 1741 8 MI 242 8 IL 4048 8 NE 4,433
    9 CO 1738 9 KS 228 9 TN 3649 9 GA 4,338
    10 MS 1595 10 MO 203 10 GA 3626 10 AL 4,142
    11 SD 1561 11 IL 202 11 MI 3350 11 IL 3,958
    12 LA 1508 12 OH 184 12 Florida 3277 12 LA 3,928
    13 AL 1487 13 GA 171 13 MO 2875 13 IN 3,407
    14 AR 1426 14 Florida 160 14 KY 2729 14 AR 3,355
    15 MN 1400 15 LA 152 15 KS 2664 15 WI 3,269

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    Snakes on a Porch: The Venomous Facts

    A friend called from Tallahassee the other
    evening. She had discovered a coral snake, she
    said, on her front porch, but before she could
    do anything about it, the reptile slithered
    away. She was concerned for her dog and cats
    and indeed, for herself, as she commonly walks
    outside barefoot.

    I suggested that it was probably a king snake,
    an eater of small rodents and large insects and
    thus beneficial to a homeowner whose hillside
    home ranges from one to seven feet off the
    ground. To know for sure, however, she would
    have to pick up the snake and examine its
    coloration - "Red on yellow kills a fellow.
    Red touching black is a friend of Jack.?/i>
    ?an action neither she nor I are trained to
    take. Nevertheless, her snake sighting made
    me curious.
     
    Coral Snake (Floridasnakes.net)
    Scarlet King Snake (Michaelcravens.com)
    It seems that for every myth that exists for non-venomous snakes, there is just as much misinformation about venomous snakes. Here are a few facts from the Centers for Disease Control:

     
    Okay. Somehow, there's a trick
    involved? (Thesun.co.uk)
    No trick here: a real rattlesnake
    bite. (Envenomated.com)
  • More than 7,000 venomous snake bites are reported annually in the U.S. but only 15 fatalities result, placing the chance of survival at roughly 499 out of 500, a 99.8 percent survival rate.
  • Approximately 3,000 of these bites are classed as "illegitimate,?meaning they occurred while the victim was handling the snake.
  • About 85 percent of the bites are below the knee.
  • And 50 percent of bites are "dry.?Apparently, for a snake, squeezing its venom glands is a voluntary reflex. Thus most strikes seem to be defensive actions, with little or no venom purposely injected.


  • It is still summer in Florida. Watch where you step, but remember that very few snakes you encounter will ever be poisonous. So be safe, and have fun.
    Rick Sapp, Editor

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    APHIS Has Free "Biosecurity for Birds?County Fair Packages

    With the 2008 state and county fair season underway, APHIS has free "Biosecurity for Birds?fair packages. The packages contain a "Biosecurity for Birds?banner, printed materials, and giveaways, everything needed for an informative exhibit on infectious poultry diseases and biosecurity.
    (Rick Sapp photo)

    APHIS?goal is to educate backyard poultry owners and bird enthusiasts about steps they can take to prevent infectious poultry diseases such as exotic Newcastle disease (END) and avian influenza, and what to do in the event a disease outbreak is suspected. The campaign was initiated in early 2004 following the 2002/2003 END outbreak in California, which became the largest animal disease outbreak in the U.S. in 30 years. While a majority of the infected birds came from commercial operations, many also came from backyard flocks and bird enthusiasts.
    Fairs are an excellent venue for communicating directly with backyard poultry owners and bird enthusiasts. Educating this target audience can help to protect America's poultry industry. For information or to order a package, email birdbiosecurity@aphis.usda.gov. Please allow 3 weeks for delivery.

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    International Spokesman?

    Craig Morgan sings country. Would he be a good spokes-person for "Share the Road??(Wikimedia.org)
    "Normally I don't send this type of YouTube stuff,?writes Carol Lehtola, Associate Professor, Agricultural and Biological Engineering at UF, "but this is a great music video about sharing the road with a combine! The song and video seem to get the point across to non-farmers. Maybe we could get Craig (Morgan) to be a farm safety 'Share the Road?spokesperson! Here's the link: www.youtube.com/watch?v=antUcw20V1w.?br>
    Dr. Lehtola is open to other nominations and can be reached at (352) 392-1864 x 223 or clehtola@ufl.edu. "Be Aware! Be Alert! Be Alive!?

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    Dennison Steps Down From NASAAEP

    Kevin Dennison (KevinDennison@colovma.org), who served as a principal coordinator for the fledgling National Alliance of State Animal and Agricultural Emergency Programs (NASAAEP), has stepped down from his position as Director, Colorado Veterinary Medical Foundation Animal Emergency Management Programs. He has accepted a position to work on emergency animal issues with USDA-APHIS Animal Care out of the Ft. Collins, Colorado office. Although he will still participate in NASAAEP, his new job does not permit moderating the monthly conference call and the interim board is now searching for a replacement.
    Kevin Dennison
    moderated the 2007
    NASAAEP meeting in
    Orlando. (R. Sapp)

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    EDEN: Working Out Tomorrow's Disasters Today

    The Extension Disaster Education Network (EDEN) seeks to reduce the impact of disasters by providing educational products and services for all phases of preparedness, prevention, mitigation, response, and recovery. Recent activities:
    Avian influenza is a contagious viral infection which can affect all species of birds. In intensive poultry rearing systems young fattening turkeys and laying hens are usually the most affected. Free-living birds may carry influenza viruses without becoming ill due to a natural resistance. It is known that wild waterfowl present a natural reservoir for these viruses and can be responsible for the primary introduction of infection into domestic poultry. (Thepoultrysite.com)
  • Working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, developed a "Pandemic Influenza Preparedness for Faith-Based Organizations?/i> course, enabling places of worship to protect the health of their staff and community, and fulfill their missions during an influenza pandemic. While every¬one can serve in pandemic prepared¬ness, faith-based organizations provide outreach (e.g., counseling, ministry, and aid), facilities, and resources.


  • Working to improve pre-disease outbreak commu¬nication among state cooperative extension services, state veterinarian offices, USDA APHIS, state emergency management agencies, and state animal response teams (SARTs). Six EDEN Regional Animal Agro-Security Conferences bring these officials together to discuss stakeholder roles.


  • For more information contact UF's Carol Lehtola at (352) 392-1864 x 223 clehtola@ufl.edu or Bill Hoffman at (202) 401?112, or Joe Wysocki at (202) 401?980. (Hoffman and Wysocki are NPLs for Plant and Animal Systems.)

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    About the SART Sentinel

    Editor: Rick Sapp, PhD, Technical Writer, Florida Department of Agriculture &
    Consumer Services, Division of Animal Industry [rsa5@cox.net]

    Associate Editor: Joe Kight, State ESF-17 Coordinator, Florida Department of
    Agriculture & Consumer Services, Division of Animal Industry
    [kightj@doacs.state.fl.us]

    The SART SENTINEL is an E-mail newsletter prepared monthly by Rick Sapp and the
    members of the Florida State Agricultural Response Team. Past issues of the
    Sentinel are archived on the Florida SART Web Site, www.flsart.org.

    If you have a story or photo that you would like to have considered for publication in
    The SART SENTINEL, please contact the Editors.

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