Vol. 11, No. 10, October 2015 |
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Enrollment Open: Awareness Level Small Animal Emergency Sheltering Class
The Florida State Animal Response Coalition has upcoming opportunities for their Awareness Level Small Animal Sheltering class.
When disaster strikes, the team of trained volunteer responders will be there to shelter and protect Florida's companion animals.
This Awareness Level class gives students the knowledge necessary to work in an emergency animal shelter. This class provides expertise and practical experience required to become a professional disaster animal responder. The Awareness Level Small Animal Emergency Sheltering class is certified by the Florida Department of Emergency Management and is required to respond in Florida to help companion animals during a disaster.
Course topics include: Personal Preparedness, Overview of the Incident Command System, Deployment Preparedness, Assisting in Shelter Set Up, Daily Care and Feeding, Proper Cage Cleaning and Disinfection, Animal Behavior, Stress Management, Zoonotic Diseases, and Personal Safety.
For more information about the courses, and to register, please visit: http://flsarc.org/Training.html
October 25th Course - Sarasota
When:Sunday October 25, 2015 from 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM
Where:Humane Society of Sarasota County Education Center, 2331 15th Street, Sarasota, FL 34237
November 8th Course - Tampa
When:Sunday November 8, 2015 from 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM
Where:Hillsborough County Emergency Operations Center, 2711 E Hanna Avenue, Tampa, FL 33610
November 14th Course - Panama City
When:Saturday November 14, 2015 from 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM CST
Where:Bay County Emergency Operations Center, 700 Highway 2300, Panama City, FL 32409
Agricultural Emergency Declared for Oriental Fruit Fly Infestation
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On September 15th, Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Adam H. Putnam declared a state of agricultural emergency due to the Oriental Fruit Fly infestation in Miami-Dade County.
The Oriental Fruit Fly is considered one of the most serious of the world's fruit fly pests due to its potential economic harm. It attacks more than 430 different fruits, vegetables and nuts, including: avocado, mango, mamey, loquat, lychee, longon, dragon fruit, guava, papaya, sapodilla, banana and annona. The fruit flies lay their eggs in host fruits and vegetables.
Since the first detection of the Oriental Fruit Fly on Aug. 26, 2015 in Miami-Dade County, a total of 158 flies have been detected, specifically in the Redland area (156), Kendall (1) and Miami (1).
“The Oriental Fruit Fly is one of the world's most destructive pests and poses a significant threat to Florida's $123 billion agriculture industry and the two million jobs it supports. Miami-Dade County's agriculture industry is a $1.6 billion industry, and we will use every weapon in our arsenal that's necessary to eradicate this pest and protect Florida agriculture and our economy,” stated Commissioner Putnam.
The infestation threatens the area's ability to produce the fruit and vegetables the nation has grown to rely on during the winter months, the region's overall economic health and the thousands of jobs that rely on this industry. Miami-Dade County is the state's leader in the production of tropical vegetables, tropical fruit and ornamental nurseries, and overall agricultural production generates more than $1.6 billion in annual economic impact and supports more than 11,000 jobs.
The department, along with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, has been aggressively working to eradicate this pest. Efforts include:
- Assisting industry with the requirements of their compliance agreements;
- Quarantining an 85-square-mile area around the core areas where detections have been made in order to prevent the spread of the fly;
- Treating a 1.5-square-mile area around each fly detection. This treatment, which is conducted by the department, consists of attracting male flies to bait which consists of an attractant, an insecticide, and a thickening agent. The flies are killed when they feed on the bait. The bait mixture is applied weekly to upper portions of telephone and utility poles. The application will continue for at least two life cycles of the fly after each find, which is approximately 60 days;
- Removal of fruit from host trees — while leaving the trees — within 200 meters of a larval or mature female fruit fly find; and
- Ground spraying with GF120, a pesticide certified for use in organic farming. Spinosad (GF-120 NF NaturalyteTM Fruit Fly Bait) is an insecticide that is extracted from the naturally occurring soil microbe, Saccharopolyspora spinosa. Spinosad is in common use by organic growers and was granted a “Green Chemistry” award by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which classifies it as “reduced risk” because of its good environmental profile.
It is important to note that all appropriate protocols are in place and that the fruits and vegetables introduced into the marketplace from this area are certified for movement and safe for consumption by the public.
Additional information may be found at: http://www.freshfromflorida.com/Divisions-Offices/Plant-Industry/Pests-Diseases/Exotic-Fruit-Flies/Oriental-Fruit-Fly-Information
National Agricultural Biosecurity Center (NABC) is Helping FEMA Provide Animal Disease Response Training
NABC's Animal Disease Response Training course curriculum for awareness-level training of agricultural emergency first responders has been approved for inclusion in FEMA's National Preparedness Directorate, National Training and Education Division course catalog. This catalog provides high-quality training to equip first responders to prevent, protect against, respond to, and recover from both manmade and natural catastrophic events.
Animal Disease Response Training focuses on the best practices and safety issues associated with an agriculture emergency, including quarantine, biosecurity, euthanasia and disposal, use of personal protective equipment, and cleaning and disinfection. The course also helps increase coordination of responders across jurisdictions, lines of authority, and disciplines by examining the integration of response efforts.
Marvin Meinders, chief of the Food, Agriculture, and Veterinary Defense Division of the Department of Homeland Security, sponsored NABC's training for FEMA inclusion. He said that this year's highly pathogenic avian influenza outbreak in the U.S. brought more attention to agricultural emergency preparedness and the necessity of coordinating responders.
"Animal Disease Response Training brings the whole community together," Meinders. "The response isn't just one specialty — you normally need to have a lot of resources that come together. If you're enforcing quarantine, you need law enforcement. You may need the Environmental Protection Agency for disposal or burial. It takes a community, and a lot of courses don't do that."
Targeting local responders rather than national and state authorities is also key. "Our local people are our first level of defense and will be our first responders in a disease outbreak," Meinders said.
Learn more at: http://nabc.ksu.edu