Vol. 9, No. 01, January 2013 |
 Printer-Friendly PDF Version |
2013 SART Planning Meeting Agenda
January 28 – January 30, 2013
The Shores, Daytona Beach, Florida
Attendance qualifies for 12 CEUs for veterinary professionals. For additional information please contact John Haven (havenj@ufl.edu) or Joe Kight (joe.kight@freshfromflorida.com).
 Dr. Greg Christy |
 Mr. John Haven |
 Dr. George Chambliss |
 Dr. Joan Dusky |
Monday, January 28, 2013
| Begin | End | Activity or Event | |
| Noon | 1:00 | Registration |
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| 1:00 | 1:05 | Welcome |
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| 1:05 | 1:15 | Call to Order – SART Chair |
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| 1:15 | 1:30 |
Welcome (Invited) |
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| 1:30 | 2:00 |
State Emergency Management |
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| 2:00 | 2:20 |
2012 Foreign Animal Disease Exercise |
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| 2:20 | 2:40 |
Vector Control |
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| 2:40 | 3:00 |
Topical Storm Isaac – The Palm Beach County Response |
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| 3:00 | 3:30 | Break |
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| 3:30 | 5:00 |
USDA: Part of the SART team |
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| 5:00 | Adjourn |
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| 6:00 | 7:00 | Welcome Reception |
 The 2011 Florida SART Planning Meeting in Altamonte Springs. |
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
| Begin | End | Activity or Event | |
| 8:00 | 5:00 | General Sessions - Choice of three certified classes
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| 5:00 | Adjourn |
 Ms. Kim Duffiney |
 Mr. Joe Kight |
 Mr. Paul Studivant |
 Mr. David Perry |
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
| Begin | End | Activity or Event | |
| 8:00 | 8:30 | MIMS Project |
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| 9:00 | 10:00 |
SART Annual Awards |
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| 10:00 | 10:30 |
Break |
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| 10:30 | 11:30 |
Bovine Emergency Response Plan |
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| 11:30 | 12:00 | Wrap-up and Closing Remarks: SART Chair Dr. Joan A. Dusky |
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Reconsidering the MAC
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Multi-Agency coordination systems (MACS) are a combination of facilities, equipment, personnel, procedures, and communications integrated into a common system with responsibility for coordinating and supporting domestic incident management priorities by facilitating logistics support, resource tracking, and resource allocations, and by coordinating incident-related information among departments and agencies. All tactical and operational responsibilities rest with the Incident Command (IC).
 Poor communication inter-operability may have caused unnecessary loss of life of firemen in the 9/11 Twin Towers disaster. |
Major incidents will invariably require multi-agency response. To be effective, the different agencies will need to function during the response and recovery in a highly coordinated and seamless manner referred to as interoperability.
A common example of failure of interoperability is the inability for different agencies to communicate during incidents because their systems are not compatible. Poor communication interoperability may have caused unnecessary loss of life of firemen in the 9/11 Twin Towers disaster in New York. Lack of interoperability of firefighting equipment during the 1991 fire in Oakland complicated efforts to bring that fire under control
Principles of National Incident Management System (NIMS),
Team Building, and Risk Communication (An All Hazards Training Program)
DHS Certified Course AWR 154 (v. 3)
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Public Health – Ready or Not?
Protecting the Public from Diseases, Disasters, and
Bioterrorism: A Report - December 2012
In the 10th annual "Ready or Not? Protecting the Public from Diseases, Disasters, and Bioterrorism" report, 35 states and Washington, D.C. scored a six or lower on ten key indicators of public health preparedness.
The report found that while there has been significant progress toward improving public health preparedness over the past ten years, particularly in core capabilities, there continue to be persistent gaps in the country's ability to respond to health emergencies, ranging from bioterrorist threats to serious disease outbreaks to extreme weather events. In the report, Kansas and Montana scored lowest - three out of 10 - and Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Vermont and Wisconsin scored highest - eight out of 10.
"In the past decade, there have been a series of significant health emergencies, including extreme weather events, a flu pandemic, and food-borne outbreaks," said Jeffrey Levi, PhD, executive director of the Trust for America's Health (TFAH). "But, for some reason, as a country, we haven't learned that we need to bolster and maintain a consistent level of health emergency preparedness. Investments made after September 11 [2001], the anthrax attacks [2001] and Hurricane Katrina [2005] led to dramatic improvements, but now budget cuts and complacency are the biggest threats we face."
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The "Ready or Not?" report provides a snapshot of our nation's public health emergency preparedness. Its indicators are developed in consultation with leading public health experts based on data from publicly available sources, or information provided by public officials. Some key findings from the report include:
- 29 states cut public health funding from fiscal years (FY) 2010-11 to 2011-12, with 23 of these states cutting funds for a second year in a row and 14 for three consecutive years.
- Federal funds for state and local preparedness have decreased 38 percent from FY 2005-2012.
- States are reporting that gains in public health preparedness achieved since September 11, 2001 are eroding, and since 2008, budget cuts have resulted in more than 45,700 job losses at state and local health departments.
- Only two states have met the national goal of vaccinating 90 percent of children, ages 19-36 months, against whooping cough (pertussis). This year Washington State has seen one of the most significant whooping cough outbreaks in recent history.
- 35 states and Washington, D.C. do not currently have complete climate change adaptation plans, which include planning for health threats posed by extreme weather events.
- 20 states do not mandate all licensed child care facilities to have a multi-hazard written evacuation plan
- 13 state public health laboratories report they do not have sufficient capacity to work five, 12-hour days for six to eight weeks in response to an infectious disease outbreak, such as novel influenza A H1N1.
The "Ready or Not?" report provides a series of recommendations that address many of the major gaps in emergency health preparedness, including:
- Reauthorize the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act (PAHPA).
- Assure sufficient, dedicated funds for public health preparedness to ensure basic capabilities to respond to threats public health departments face every day and also to have the trained experts and systems in place to act quickly in the face of major, unexpected emergencies.
- Provide ongoing support to communities so they better cope and recover from emergencies.
- Modernize bio-surveillance to a real-time, interoperable system to better detect and respond to problems.
- Seriously address antibiotic resistance.
- Improve research, development and manufacturing of medical countermeasures.
- Increase readiness for extreme weather events.
- Update the nation's food safety system.
The 2009 Map – Note the Changes in Three Years |
The report was supported by a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The complete report with a full list of all of the indicators and scores is available at www.healthyamericans.org and on RWJF's website at www.rwjf.org. For the state-by-state scoring, states received one point for achieving an indicator or zero points if they did not achieve the indicator. Zero is the lowest possible overall score, 10 is the highest. The data for the indicators are from publicly available sources or were provided from public officials.
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The 7 States Least Prepared for Disaster
7. Colorado $15,489,507 (under-manned state health laboratories) |
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Under the Radar
AVMF Announces Most Recent Grants
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The American Veterinary Medical Foundation (AVMF) awards grants in support of state animal disaster preparedness and response. AVMF awards are competitively available two categories: Start-up Grants (to $5,000) and Matching & Challenge Grants (to $20,000). For more information about these grants, visit the AVMF web site at http://www.avmf.org/whatwedo/disaster-preparedness-grants/.
2010 Disaster State Preparedness Grant Recipients
Kingman Pratt Area Animal Response Team
California Veterinary Medical Foundation
Colorado Veterinary Medical Foundation
Animal Rescue League of Iowa
Oklahoma Veterinary Medical Foundation
Texas Veterinary Medical Foundation
Utah Emergency Animal Response Coalition
Note that the University of Florida's College of Veterinary Medicine received grants in 2007 and 2008.
"There's nothing like a man and a dozer blade."
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It's easy to feel isolated from the food chain these days. After all, most of us get our food from a grocery store where the vegetables are already picked and washed, and the animals are already slaughtered, butchered and packaged.
For a little taste of farm life, a family in Kansas has posted a series of educational and entertaining videos on YouTube.com. Browse that site for the Peterson Farm Brothers and touch base once again with farm life and the chain of production that feeds us all. "The Peterson Farm Bros consist of Greg, Nathan, and Kendal Peterson and we love agriculture! This channel is full of videos about our family farm and what we do to help feed the world."
Many thanks to Dr. Kendra Stauffer, Area Emergency Coordinator
USDA/APHIS/Veterinary Services for the heads-up!
Update: Move of Peace River Refuge & Ranch
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Lisa Stoner, vice president of the not-for-profit Peace River Refuge and Ranch (http://peaceriverrefuge.org and www.facebook.com/peaceriver), says the anticipated date of their move to the Silver Springs grounds in Marion County is March 1, 2013. "It's going to be wonderful because we'll be bounded on three sides by national forest."
"We don't want to publicize the exact date of the move because we'll be hauling tigers and leopards and bears, and some will be tranquilized and some only partially. We don't need uninvited volunteers or crowds. You'd be surprised how many people want to stick their hands in places they doesn't belong and how dangerous that can be."
Peace River offers lifetime care for about 150 animals such as the big cats (tigers, cougars, lynx, etc.), black bears, wolves, capuchin and spider monkeys. Animals come from private collectors who tried to keep them as pets, or from roadside attractions that have been shut down; in many cases the animals were abused and neglected. Many, Stoner says, were about to be euthanized when Peace River accepted them.
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Photos courtesy Jacqui Janetzko, Ocala Star-Banner
"We need volunteers – you never have enough – to help build the new sanctuary because we first have to build before we can move the animals and then go back to dismantle the existing buildings and cages. Many thanks, by the way, to Consie von Gontard and other volunteers from Florida SARC."
Volunteers must be 18 years old and comfortable working outdoors in the woods with limited facilities. No specific skills are required, but any physical limitations must be disclosed. Work shifts are available for as little as 4 hours.
Stoner says the Peace River disaster management plan is prepared and filed with the state. "Mostly, we will shelter-in-place. We went through the 2004 Hurricane Season – Charley, Frances and Jeanne – and the Refuge sustained more than $200,000 in damages, but we didn't have a single escape or injury to an animal. Disney didn't do that good. That wasn't all luck, though. We really over-build to keep the animals safely inside … and people safe outside. Enclosures have storm lock-outs to secure the big guys and we have crates so that bats, skunks and little monkeys can be safeguarded."
Stoner's husband, Kurt, is president of Peace River ("Between us, Kurt and I have more than 50 years of experience caring for these kinds of animals."). Lila Hepner is secretary. "We have no employees," Stoner says. "We operate only with a couple interns and volunteers."
Florida SARC www.flsarc.org is participating in the volunteer coordination and construction process. About $25,000 must still be raised – donations and gifts are tax deductible – for special-order caging materials before the move can be completed. Work takes place Saturdays and Sundays until about mid-February, 2013 (with work days during the week to be announced). Contact Lisa Stoner for a volunteer application and to coordinate a schedule volunteer@peaceriverrefuge.org, office: 352-625-7377, cell: 352-789-1487. Peace River Refuge & Ranch, 640 NE 170th Ct., Silver Springs, FL 34488.
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"This is a chance for us to do what we do best. We have decades of experience in food-borne pathogen research and a long history of reaching out to the public through the cooperative extension system."
Dr. Douglas Archer, Associate Dean for Research
IFAS, University of Florida
Dr. Archer (dlarcher@ifas.ufl.ed) commented on the Florida Department of Health's recent partnership with IFAS/UF to establish an Integrated Food Safety Center of Excellence. Five national centers such as this one were legislated by the U.S. Congress in the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act of 2011.
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Introduction to Animal Emergency Management
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The Center for Food Security & Public Health, with the support of USDA APHIS Animal Care Emergency Programs, has developed a 10-part course to provide Animal Care employees with basic information and skills to support USDA APHIS Animal Care's emergency planning and response roles as part of the ESF #11 mission area: Safety and Well-Being of Pets, and other laws or policies related to emergency planning and response.
The course may also be of interest to individuals involved in animal emergency management in local, state, tribal or federal agencies and non-governmental organizations. Animal Care conducts periodic web-based training using the modules. For more information, agencies and organizations may contact Dr. Kevin Dennison Kevin.M.Dennison@aphis.usda.gov (Western Region) or Dr. Jeanie Lin Jeanie.Lin@aphis.usda.gov (Eastern Region). Check out the course online presence at: http://www.cfsph.iastate.edu/Education-Training/introduction-to-animal-emergency-management.php?lang=en.
Kendra Stauffer, DVM DACVPM
Area Emergency Coordinator
USDA/APHIS/Veterinary Services
2011: Turkey Point Nuclear Exercise After-Action Report
The After Action Report, a public document, for the February 23, 2011 Turkey Point Nuclear Power Plant Radiological Emergency Preparedness, Plume Phase Emergency Planning Zone Exercise, is available at http://pbadupws.nrc.gov/docs/ML1112/ML111230871.pdf. Turkey Point is owned by Florida Power & Light.
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For this exercise, FEMA's overall objective was to assess the level of state and local preparedness in responding to a radiological emergency. The report says, in summary: "State and local organizations successfully demonstrated knowledge of their emergency response plans and procedures and their ability to implement them. No Deficiencies or Areas Requiring Corrective Action were identified." (FDACS was not a participant in this exercise and the most recent exercise results have not yet been released.)
EMAC: Does it work?
"Hurricane Katrina stressed how well the EMAC system works," says Florida SERT's Chuck Hagan, Program Administrator/Unified State Logistics Chief. "It was the largest mutual aid mission in the history of the United States. Following Katrina, Florida sent more than 6,000 personnel in the first 30 days to support Mississippi and six of their impacted coun¬ties."
In addition to providing assistance in times of disaster, Florida has also received assistance through EMAC. "Had it not been for EMAC during the 2004 and 2005 Florida Hurricanes, it would have been hard to sustain emergency operations over long periods," says Hagan. "There is no other system in place nationally that can provide the types of personnel needed at the local and state levels during such times of crisis."
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Severe Weather Awareness Week
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The Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM) and the Florida Chapters of the American Red Cross are co-sponsoring the 2013 Severe Weather Awareness Week: Monday, February 11, through Friday, February 15. The annual public awareness campaign provides teachers an opportunity to educate students on the importance of being prepared for severe weather.
The week is important says FDEM Director Bryan W. Koon because it "promotes a culture of preparedness."
Severe Weather Awareness Week includes a poster contest for elementary school students (postmarked NLT 1-18; winners announced 2-01) and a video public service announcement contest for middle and high school students. Seven winners will be selected from the poster contest; one winner each from middle and high school will be selected for the video PSA contest.
This is the 13th year for the program. For more information contact Public Information, 850-921-0217, dem-externalaffairs@em.myflorida.com or check the www.FloridaDisaster.org web site.
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About the SART Sentinel |
The SART Sentinel is an e-mail newsletter prepared monthly by 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. Editor: Rick Sapp, PhD, Technical Writer, under contract with the 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 Joe.Kight@freshfromflorida.com [top] |
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