Florida SART: Florida State Agricultural Response Team

Certified Agroterrorism Course Offerings

The Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Office of Agricultural Emergency Preparedness and Western Institute of Food Safety and Security (WIFSS) are presenting additional DHS (DHS) Certified Agroterrorism Courses in 2009. All courses are Free.

• AWR-151 Awareness: Understanding the Dangers of Agroterrorism
• AWR-152 Preparedness: Principles of Preparedness for Agroterrorism and Food Systems Disasters

November, 2009
Monday, 11-2-09
AWR-152: Pensacola – 8:00 am (registration) to 4:30 pm – Escambia County Public Safety, 6575 North “W” Street, Pensacola, FL 32505. Free lunch provided.

Tuesday, 11-3-09
AWR-151: Tallahassee – 1:00 pm (registration) to 5:00 pm – Terry L. Rhodes Building, Agricultural Law Enforcement Conference Room, 2005 Apalachee Parkway, Tallahassee, FL 32399

To register or to get more detailed information,
go to:
Registration:
http://wifss.ucdavis.edu/agroterrorism/classes/classesbydate.php
Additional Course Information:
http://wifss.ucdavis.edu/agroterrorism/classes/course_desc.php

Additional sponsoring partners include UF’s Institute for Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS-Extension), the Florida Department of Health and the Regional Domestic Security Task Forces.

For questions contact John Terry at (850) 410-6756 or terryj1@doacs.state.fl.us.

FEMA Web Site Now in English and Spanish

According to the web site Census.gov, the estimated Hispanic population of the US in 2005 was 42.7 million or 14 percent. People of Hispanic origin are the nation’s largest ethnic or race minority – not even counting Puerto Rico’s 3.9 million residents. In Florida, about 3.5 million or 20 percent speak Spanish.

In an emergency, does your agency have
the ability to communicate in Spanish?

The FEMA web site is now available in Spanish as well as English. “I invite you to visit www.fema.gov/espanol where you will see information for Spanish-speakers on what to do before, during and after emergency events,” Craig Fugate, FEMA Administrator wrote. Fugate admonished all FEMA employees to help reach “the widest possible audience for preparedness and response.”

According to the memo, the new site is also a central location for Spanish-speaking disaster survivors to register for assistance or search for displaced persons through the National Emergency Family Registry and Locator system. The site features preparedness themes such as flood mitigation to news issues of the day, such as H1N1.

USDA Implements Livestock Disaster Assistance Programs

Producers can now apply for benefits from two permanent USDA Livestock Disaster Assistance Programs authorized in the 2008 Farm Bill.

• ELAP: Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-Raised Fish (disease, adverse weather, fire, etc.)
• LFP: Livestock Forage Disaster (drought or fire) – Eligible livestock include beef cattle, alpacas, buffalo, beefalo, dairy cattle, deer, elk, emus, equine, goats, llamas, poultry, reindeer, sheep and swine.  For losses due to drought, qualifying drought ratings are determined using the U.S. Drought Monitor located at http://www.drought.unl.edu/dm/monitor.html.

 
"These programs ensure that producers who have suffered agriculture losses receive the critical disaster assistance needed to remain financially solvent and help them continue to operate,” said Debra Folsom, Acting State Executive Director of USDA FSA in Florida.

For more information or to apply for ELAP or LFP and other USDA/FSA disaster assistance programs, FSA’s Mark Cotrell (352-379-4562 mark.cotrell@fl.usda.gov) recommends that producers visit local USDA Service Centers or FSA county offices.  Information is also available on line at http://www.fsa.usda.gov.

Florida SART Member Laura Bevan Talks About the new Emergency Animal Sheltering Plan

Florida SART member and animal advocate Laura Bevan is a consistent voice for improving the care and treatment of animals

A contributing member of the Florida working group tasked with developing an Emergency Animal Sheltering Policy, Laura Bevan – who is otherwise employed by the Humane Society of the United States – said the new state policy may seem like a small thing, but it is easier to come up with a recommended policy when the sky is blue and the sun shining than under pressure when the wind is blowing and the water is rising.

“Many people want a shelter to hold animals indefinitely,” Bevan says, “until an owner comes to claim it or it can be placed in a foster home. But that’s just not always practical, especially when you consider a shelter’s normal work load. Even the best shelters have more animals coming in than they can ever adopt out. So this policy seems to be a good compromise – one that most counties can live with even in strained economic times.

“It is so much better to have a good statewide policy than to have each individual shelter or county come up with something different. This not only gives guidance, but provides some cover in court because it cannot be said that a county is acting capriciously or in a haphazard manner. Even the tough question of when or if an animal must be euthanized – generally when they are sick, injured or aggressive – is addressed and it takes the agreement of on-site professionals to make that determination.”

Although it is primarily concerned with pets and companion animals, the new policy also presents guidelines for livestock and horses.

Highlights of the Emergency Animal Sheltering Policy

It is the policy of the State SERT (ESF-17), during a governor-declared emergency, that any animal, other than livestock or wildlife, displaced in the impacted area will be sheltered for a period of not less than thirty calendar (30) days from the date of their capture, rescue, or abandonment. However, those animals captured, rescued or abandoned in the impacted area at the end of the state’s official “incident period” will be subject to the pre-disaster holding periods for that county.

Florida’s animal shelters already take in many thousands more animals than they can adopt-out. In an emergency, this number could skyrocket.

After a period of not less than five days, those animals that are found, captured, rescued, or surrendered and that are deemed unfit to be maintained in the shelter environment or for foster care or adoption may be released to the control of the nearest operable county animal control agency for disposition in accordance with their ordinances. For an animal to be considered “unfit” an animal control officer, licensed veterinarian and the shelter manager must be in agreement on the determination. The

Five day hold period will be waived if in the opinion of an animal control officer, licensed veterinarian and animal shelter manager determines it is in the best interest of the animal, to be euthanized immediately to prevent further suffering.

At the end of the thirty-day hold period, the animals may be released from a public shelter or its designated agent and turned over to the care of a state-approved (ESF-17) non-governmental organization to begin the process of fostering and/or adoption.

Loose, wandering livestock, including equine that are a public health and safety concern will be collected and held for a minimum period of fifteen (15) days. At the end of fifteen days, the county housing the animals may offer the livestock for fostering or offer for adoption or offer for sale at a public auction. If sold, the funds from the sale of these animals will be retained by the county, and be used to offset the cost of care for all animals sheltered during the declared event.

Conference to Feature Large Animal Emergency Rescue Training

Veterinarians and veterinary technicians will be able to learn about equipment and

techniques used for large animal emergency rescue during the January 16-20, 2010 NAVC Conference in Orlando. The $300 Workshop is scheduled for Monday the 18th from 1:30-5:00 pm at an off-site location. According to the NAVC, buses will depart from the Caribe Royale at 1:00 pm. The course will be taught by Dr. Tomas Gimenez, internationally recognized as a large animal rescue instructor, (www.tlaer.org) and Mr. John Haven, Director of Medical/Health Administration for UF’s Veterinary Medical Center and the College of Veterinary Medicine, Gainesville.

The course will include: how to safely approach and handle a large animal that has become the victim of an incident, how to provide basic life support for a large animal victim, how to move a recumbent horse backwards, forwards, and sideways, how to lift a horse and how to transport a recumbent horse.

 

 

Photos (l-r): Tomas Gimenez,
John Haven, Paul Gibbs

Note that Dr. Paul Gibbs will speak to an evening session on the topic “Rift Valley Fever and Other Emerging Zoonotic Diseases: Are we prepared?” His 5:30-6:45 pm talk is scheduled for the Gaylord on Saturday the 16th. Gibbs is a professor of virology in the Department of Infectious Diseases and Pathology at the College of Veterinary Medicine, UF.

NIMS Working Papers Invite Comment

Attached are five draft “Position Task Books” from the National Incident Management System (NIMS) Animal Emergency Response Working Group. Although the time for official comment has just ended (October 5 – we received the email between issues of the Sentinel) the working group has not finalized its presentations and might be delighted to receive additional thoughtful and constructive input at AnimalResponseTaskBooks@cabezongroup.com.

 If you have any questions or want to make a comment, contact Holly Mann of the Cabezon Group (FEMA’s contract support to Incident Management Systems Integration Division) at 240-786-9130 ext. 71 Holly.Mann@CabezonGroup.com or James.M.Williams@aphis.usda.gov. (Beware upon reading that you may either feel that these PTBs are spot-on, thorough and efficient, or that they are bureaucratic overload developed by a company paid by the page. Either way, your informed and professional comments as a SART member will be helpful in preparing for effective animal emergency response.)

“Position Task Books (PTBs) are designed to be used by any individual (trainee) interested in becoming certified under the National Incident Management System (NIMS). The PTB’s are intended to be used to document experiences that indicate successful completion of tasks specific to an Incident Command System (ICS) position. The performance requirements for each position are associated with core ICS competencies, behaviors and tasks as suggested to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) by a multi-disciplined, highly-experienced expert panel.”

1. Animal Shelter Manager – Unit Leader
2. Animal Case Manager – Unit Leader
3. Animal Premises Site Manager – Unit Leader
4. Animal Control Strike – Team Leader
5. Wildlife Control Strike – Team Leader

The Station Fire - Lessons Learned

This summer, communities near the Los Angeles National Forest were threatened by a wildfire that forced the evacuation of thousands of people, their pets and hundreds of exotic and domestic animals regulated by USDA-APHIS Animal Care (AC).

While firefighters fought the blaze known as the "Station Fire," AC teams worked 24/7 to facilitate communication between licensees and authorities, ensure that regulated facilities were prepared to evacuate their animals, and confirm that animal owners’ emergency plans were sound. The fire eventually consumed more than 160,000 acres.

Images of the "Station Fire" from California. The fire is thought to have been deliberately set.

Because of the film industry and the many animal sanctuaries in California, AC regulates lots of licensed exhibitors, trainers and sanctuaries with elephants, rhinoceros, tigers, lions, ligers, bears, wolves, chimpanzees and other animals. AC also regulates many commercial pet kennels there.

The fire created a logistical nightmare for facilities forced to evacuate exotic and domestic animals. Thus, AC's presence was requested at the Regional State Emergency Operations Center and AC hosted a daily conference call to address emerging issues. For example, one nonprofit sanctuary with 400 animals lacked the equipment to transport all their animals. AC located cages and other gear through contacts as far away as Las Vegas. The LA Zoo provided sheltered 45 chimpanzees. Because several commercial pet facilities are managed by non-English speakers, AC found translators.

The Station Fire demonstrates the need for robust contingency planning. During the fire, some animals had to be sedated or anesthetized for movement. This took valuable time and suggested that many animals need to be trained for emergency transport.

The evacuation of wild and exotic species was a community effort that included AC, exhibitors, zoos, sanctuaries and government agencies. No exotic animals were lost in fire.

The fire highlighted the need for contingency planning for animal facilities regardless of regulatory requirements. The Animal Welfare Act only requires emergency plans for marine mammal licensees. In 2008, AC had proposed adding a contingency planning requirement to the Federal Regulations that would require all licensees to have emergency plans to prepare them for events that could threaten the health and safety of their animals. The proposed regulation is currently under review and public comments are being evaluated.

Training at CDP, Anniston

Don’t forget that there are great and continuing opportunities as close as Alabama. In a period when hurricane activity is low, when fire season seems distant, when the threat of an international terrorist incident feels remote … this is just the time to get “trained up,” pump iron, hit the road for a new mind-bending experience.

“Train at the nation's premier all-hazards training center! FEMA’s Center for Domestic Preparedness (CDP), located in Anniston, Alabama, is … DHS's only federally chartered Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) training center.

 “The CDP began operations in June 1998 as the only all-hazards training center, offering training on Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, and Explosive (CBRNE) weapons. While the training tempo has increased dramatically, the CDP’s training programs provide the very best in advanced hands-on training for America's emergency responders.

“On March 31, 2007, the Noble Training Facility (NTF) was transferred … to the CDP. NTF is the only hospital facility in the US dedicated to training hospital and healthcare professionals in disaster preparedness and response.

“If you are a state or local emergency responder, this training is completely funded by DHS at no cost to you or your jurisdiction. We fly you into Atlanta airport, pick you up, transport you to the CDP, and provide all meals and lodging.”

It is almost too easy. All you need is time. Visit https://cdp.dhs.gov/ for training calendars, course descriptions, contact information

Medfly Protection - Old News? A Primer.

With huanglongbing (lethal yellowing) and citrus canker, the Mediterranean fruit fly seems so 20th century. Because Florida is a Sentinel State with ports of entry in every geographic sector, however, no risk vector ever seems to be completely eliminated. Such is the case with Med fly.

Med fly larvae in fruit

According to UF’s Dept. of Entomology & Nematology, “The Mediterranean fruit fly … is one of the world's most destructive fruit pests.” Flies lay eggs on fruit; larvae burrow inside, turning fruit into a “juicy, inedible mass.” It isn’t established in the US and outbreaks are fought aggressively.

One effective way to fight Med fly is to release sterile males, a “biologically-based reproduction control:”

1. huge quantities of Med fly males are reared and sterilized,
2. these flies are aerially released in great numbers and
3. consequent mating with wild females produces no offspring.

The advantages of sterile release over spraying are: it is safe for the public, has no adverse impact on the environment and is specific to targeted species.

Flies are reared and sterilized in Guatemala. Male pupas are air-mailed to Sarasota where they are raised to adults. Then they are aerially released in designated areas. More than 55,000 traps monitor for wild (non-sterile) Med-flies.

FDACS says the sterile fly program is very efficient. In areas of the world with un-checked infestation fruit must be harvested green and early, dramatically decreasing quality of fruit and grove productivity. "Since sterile fly releases began in Florida in 1999,” FDACS says, “no major outbreak has occurred. More than $50 million was spent on two outbreaks in the late 1990s.

Incidence of the Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann), in Florida. Drawing by: G. J. Steck and B. D. Sutton, Division of Plant Industry

Florida recently began releasing sterile flies in Broward County. Its busy international airport and deep-water seaport give it “at risk” status. Sterile flies are currently released in these high risk counties:

1. 5 times a week over 300 square miles of Hillsborough,
2. 3 times a week over 160 square miles of Sarasota and
3. 3 times a week over 140 square miles of Miami-Dade.

For more information, contact USDA, APHIS, PPQ Public Affairs Specialist Nolan Lemon at (919) 855-7008 or FDACS, DPI Public Information Specialist Mark Fagan at (954) 410-4119 or visit http://www.fl-dpi.com.