Vol. 4, No. 7, July 2008 |
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A working group of NASAAEP volunteers is developing minimum requirements for Animal Emergency Responders (AER) to participate in the NIMS Integration Center's National Emergency Responder Credentialing System. Credentialed responders are intended for interstate deployment under the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC). Credentialing gives Incident Commanders the flexibility to assimilate multiple responders into resource teams on the site of a disaster. Six criteria are involved in credentialing: education, training, experience, physical and medical fitness, certification, and licensing. To be credentialed a responder must meet all criteria. Credentialing is a pre-incident activity. |
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Non-domestic (exotic species in zoos, captured game premises, and | |
households). |
Position Titles The following position titles provide a template for AER personnel to respond to all hazards, including Animal Health Emergencies and Natural and Technological Disasters according to the NIMS Integration Center's National Emergency Responder Credentialing System: Animal Case Manager, Animal Control Specialist, Animal Disease Epidemiologist, Animal Handling Specialist, Animal |
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Industry Specialist, Animal Premises Site Manager, Animal Shelter Manager, Animal Technician, Livestock Agriculture Economist, Permit Specialist, Risk Assessment Specialist, Species Specialist, Vector Control Specialist, Veterinarian, and Wildlife Control Specialist. If you wish to review the to-date credentialing effort please contact Mark Shearer in Iowa at mark.shearer@iowaagriculture.gov or Sara Parrish in Pennsylvania at sparrish@alutiiq.com. If those individuals are not immediately available, SART Sentinel Editor Rick Sapp at rsa5@cox.net can provide a copy via email. |
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After the July 24-26 I-300 (Intermediate ICS Command) course in Kissimmee only one SART-sponsored I-300 training opportunity remains this year in Florida. Thus signing up with FDACS-DAI's Gary Painter sooner rather than later is a good idea: (863) 519-8470, cell (863) 698-6377 painterg@doacs.state.fl.us. Not only might this class be full if you wait to the last moment, but I-300 training requires 25-day advance registration to ensure material availability.
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Update ?The American Red Cross & HSUS
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Iowa Flooding Receives Strong USDA Response
Recent Midwest flooding required a coordinated USDA response. Please consider how the USDA agencies would benefit Florida residents in a disaster. Here is an outline of assistance provided
Food Assistance FNS (Food and Nutrition Service): authorized states to waive certain program requirements for the Summer Food Service Program; approved operation of the Disaster Food Stamp Program in Indiana (37 counties), Iowa (36 counties), and Wisconsin (19 counties) assisting with more than $1.6 million in benefits to 4,000 new and 1,500 on-going households; and allowed retail food stores to accept food stamp/EBT (electronic benefit transfer) benefits for hot foods
Approved priority consideration for rural community funding through Rural Development Rural Community Facilities programs (for schools, libraries, childcare centers, hospitals, medical clinics, assisted living facilities, fire and rescue stations, police stations, community centers, public buildings, and transportation); and worked with local communities to determine Emergency Watershed Protection requests in the disaster areas
Business Assistance Rural businesses given priority consideration through the Rural Development Rural Business Enterprise grant program |
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Now that summer rains have come and mold is growing on the house, recollection of the dry soil of May is practically forgotten. Nevertheless, and despite cycles of drought and abundant moisture occurring naturally in Florida, our civilization's growing demand for fresh water makes drought a permanent condition. IFAS?Carol Lehtola (clehtola@ufl.edu) saw the photo of Lake Brooklyn in the June SART Sentinel and reminded us that a Drought Teaching Module is available on the IFAS disaster handbook site at http://disaster.ifas.ufl.edu/wwe.htm. Titled A Drought-Water Conservation Program for Homeowners, Master Gardeners, and Extension Agents it includes everything needed for teaching about water conservation ?lesson plans, workbooks, PowerPoint presentations, and a professionally produced video "Water's Journey ?Hidden Rivers of Florida.?(For folks who like to get their hands dirty, there are sections on drought-tolerant plants and how to how to water the lawn!)
Disaster Handbook materials are designed to allow local leaders to quickly develop appropriate packets for local needs. All Disaster Handbook publications are available for download from the IFAS Disaster Information Web Site. |
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FYI ?Louisiana Requires That Plans Be On File
You can check out the state's readiness effort through the Louisiana State Animal Response Team web site at http://lsart.evetsites.net/. A link to their 80-page Companion Animal Evacuation and Sheltering Manual, which begins appropriately with "The sheltering and protection of animals is the responsibility of their owner.?can be found on that page. |
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Krista McCoy's 2007 doctoral dissertation for the University of Florida's School of Natural Resources and Environment in the Department of Zoology, as accepted for publication in Environmental Health Perspectives On Line, is titled "Agriculture Alters Gonadal Form and Function in the toad Bufo marinus.?br>
Most alarming McCoy noted: "What we are finding in Bufo marinus might also occur in other animals, including other amphibian species and humans. In fact, reproductive abnormalities are increasing in humans and these increases could partially be due to exposure to pesticides.?br> For a complete text go to www.ehponline.org/members/2008/11536/11536.pdf. A highly readable report written by Aaron Hoover is also available on line at http://news.ufl.edu/2008/07/03/abnormal-frogs/. NOTE: The researchers gathered giant toads, from five sites stretching from Lake Worth to Belle Glade and down to Homestead in South Florida. Bufo marinus, the giant toad, is a very large, exotic, invasive species known to be deadly to small animals. Researchers studied this toad in part because they are easy to catch and their large size ensures sufficient blood for analysis. They are also common in other agricultural areas around the world, which means they are a very good generalist species. |
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Train in Agricultural Emergency Response (Ag-ERT) at the nation's premier all-hazards training center, FEMA's Center for Domestic Preparedness (http://cdp.dhs.gov), Anniston, AL. It is the only federally chartered Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) training center. Current training dates are 27 July-1 August, 24-29 August, and 14-19 September. For information, contact APHIS Liaison to CDP R. Gordon Harman at (256) 847-2350 office or (301) 332-8390 BlackBerry; harmanr@cdpemail.dhs.gov or Robert.G.Harman@aphis.usda.gov. |
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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. |
SART Sentinel Photo Credits: American Red Cross/TAUME.com, AnimalHealthFoundation.com, Arkansas Game & Fish Commission, DiscoverMagazine.com, Florida-Cracker.org, Jack Dykinga-USDA, NOAA, Matt Ryerson/The Hawk Eye, Rick Sapp, Rick Speare-USDA/FS, US Coast Guard
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The mission of the NPDN, the National Plant Diagnostic Network, is to enhance national agricultural security by quickly detecting introduced pests and pathogens. (SART Training Module "Quality & Secure Plant and Insect Sample Submissions? False. Never put creatures, live or dead, in a microwave oven. (SART Training Module "Quality & Secure Plant and Insect Sample Submissions? Climate is long-term whereas weather is a picture of climate on a particular day or season. Thus the difference is perspective: duration and length of time. (SART Training Module "Using Climate Forecasts in Agriculture? Florida is considered a "Sentinel State.?(SART Training Module "An Entomological Perspective for Emergency Agricultural Response? The two response strategies are eradication ?when possible ?and management ?when eradication is not possible. (SART Training Module "An Entomological Perspective for Emergency Agricultural Response? It is best to have only one entry/exit road from the farm. That entrance should be clearly marked with signs and for added security should have a lockable gate with controlled gate access. (SART Training Module "Biosecurity for Florida Producers? FEMA (http://training.fema.gov/IS/crslist.asp) (SART Training Module "Introducing SART? A. Animal Services is ESF 17. B. Volunteers and Donations is ESF 15. C. Search and Rescue is ESF 9. (SART Training Module "Creating an Effective County SART: 12 Steps to Success? Euthanasia (SART Training Module "Livestock and Horses: Emergency Management for Large Animals? The Sunshine State Horse Council has good information on their Web site and can be found at www.sshc.org. Their Web site contains evacuation and disaster information and also includes: Emergency Evacuation Relocation List (Searchable), available space for temporary evacuation of horses, donors of space for horses that might need to be evacuated and relocated on a temporary basis in the event of an emergency condition such as a fire or impending hurricane. (SART Training Module "Livestock and Horses: Emergency Management for Large Animals? |
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