COMPANION ANIMALS IN DISASTER MANAGEMENT

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COMPANION ANIMALS IN DISASTER MANAGEMENT

• A STATE GOVERNMENT PERSPECTIVE

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AUSTRALIAN SOURCES OF RISK

• Criminal activities
• Terrorism
• Earthquakes
• Bushfires
• Floods
• Storms
• Tornadoes
• Transport accidents
• Space debris

• Foreign animal diseases
• Foreign plant diseases
• Human diseases
• Hazardous chemical accidents
• Infrastructure failure
• Failure to maintain business continuity

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What is an emergency and what is a disaster?

• EMERGENCY
• Any event which exceeds the resources of the
  local area so invokes the Emergency Management
  legal provisions.
• DISASTER
• Any event which exceeds the resources of the
  jurisdiction so invokes the Disaster Management
  legal provisions.

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Precursors for disaster...
Hazard
Community
Vulnerability?
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Emergency Management vs managing day-to-day
emergencies

• Emergency Management involves
• A broader range of issues and strategies and
• A higher level of response
• than day-to-day emergencies, which are routinely
  managed by police and / or emergency services.

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Personal tragedies and traumas

• Single or two vehicle car accident causing
  serious injury
• House fire in which people die
• Shark attack killing a surfer
• Drowning at public pool
• Asthma attack leading to death
• Murder and serious crimes
• Lost child

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Minor Incidents

• Bus crash with casualties but no prolonged road
  closure
• Bushfire impacting a remote park
• Burst water main causing flooding over several
  blocks
• Chemical incident / fire in a small plant with no
  casualties or toxic leaks
• Flood causing significant property damage but no
  casualties
• Boating accident on Sydney Harbour not impacting
  transport arrangements

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Major Incidents

• Rail crash with several casualties and fatalities
  and closing track
• Bushfire impacting a small rural community
• Gladstone factory explosion
• Chemical incident / fire in a small plant with no
  casualties or toxic leaks
• Boating accident on Sydney Harbour impacting
  transport arrangements

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Emergencies

• Granville train disaster
• Westgate Bridge collapse
• Eyre Peninsula fires
• Marble mountains Newcastle disease
• Equine Influenza outbreak

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Disasters

• Ash Wednesday
• Cyclone Tracey
• Darwin bombing
• Cyclone Mahina 1899
• Brisbane floods 1974
• Pt Arthur massacre

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When you need good friends - its too late to
make them

• Emergencies require interaction and
  cooperation of agencies e.g.
• Treasury,
• Health,
• Community Services,
• Engineering,
• Agriculture,
• Transport,
• Community-based service agencies etc.

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DISASTERS OFTEN OCCUR ...
in the dead
Uphill
of
night
Map 35
Map 32
...at the
Map 34
intersection
Map 33
of 4 maps
PUB
miles from the nearest pub!
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Declarations

• State Coordinator may declare an Identified
  Major Incident. (for a period not exceeding 12
  hours).
• State Coordinator may declare a Major
  Emergency. Not gt 48 hours. Extended with
  Governors approval.
• Governor may declare a Disaster. 96 hours.
  Revokable by Governor or may be extended by
  agreement of both Houses of Parliament.

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Powers of the State Coordinator

• On the declaration of an identified major
  incident, a major emergency or a disaster, and
  while that declaration remains in force, he must
  take any necessary action to implement the State
  Emergency Management Plan and cause such response
  and recovery operations to be carried out as he
  thinks appropriate.

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POWERS OF AUTHORISED OFFICERS

• acquisition of property
• direct evacuation of people and animals
• enter/break into buildings etc.
• take possession of things
• destroy structures, animals vegetation

• cut off fuel, water, drainage etc.
• prohibit movement of people
• remove people
• direct people whose responsibilities require
  their involvement

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Over-arching coordination

• The Police Department is the coordinating agency
  for all emergencies (not just declared
  emergencies) unless the State EM Plan designates
  a different body in relation to an emergency of
  a specialised kind.

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Role of POLICE

• Role To maintain law and order and to
  protect life and property. Specific tasks would
  include
• Traffic and crowd control including the control
  of evacuation operations if required.
• Identifying the dead and injured and notifying
  next of kin.
• Establishing temporary mortuaries.
• Maintaining the security of property.
• Statutory investigative requirements.
• Assess the need for the registration of disaster
  victims and subsequent advice to the State
  Controller (Community Services).

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THE STATE DISASTER ORGANISATION
STATE COORDINATOR .... MINISTER
.... GOVERNOR

ê
ZEOCs . SEOC .......... NEMCC (EMA)



ì
é
ë
AGRICULTURE FIRE
STATE EMERGENCY SERVICE
ANIMAL
SERVICES

HEALTH COMMUNITY SERVICES
AMBULANCE MEDICAL
FIRST AID
MEDIA
ENGINEERING POLICE
LOGISTICS
DEFENCE FORCE (SA)
COMMUNICATIONS
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Function and powers of the SEMC

• Provide leadership
• Maintain oversight
• Prepare review State EM Plan
• Provide advice to Government
• Undertake risk assessments
• Provide information to agencies

• Monitor capacity of agencies
• Coordinate the development and implementation of
  strategies and policies
• Monitor evaluate response and recovery
  operations
• Other duties as directed by the Act or Minister

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So, where do companion animals fit?
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COMMUNITY SERVICES

• Dept for Families Communities
• Australian Red Cross
• Pastoral Ministry Services
• Insurance Council
• Interpreter Services
• Centrelink
• Lions Rotary Clubs
• Dept of Health
• Animal Welfare Unit
• St John Ambulance

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Role of COMMUNITY SERVICES

• Responsibilities include
• 1.Establish Evacuation Centres to provide
• short term shelter,
• information
• support services (eg food, basic first aid, and
  pet care).
• 2. Activation of the National Registration and
  Inquiry System (NRIS) with linkages to Police
  Casualty Information and Disaster Victim
  Identification processes.
• 3. Establish Recovery Centres for affected people
  to
• receive financial assistance,
• gather information
• seek referral into the wide range of recovery
  services.
• 4. Disseminate information on practical advice
  and social/psycho recovery services within the
  affected community.

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EVACUATION CENTRE STRESS

• Life
• Injury
• Pets
• Property
• Money
• Security
• Addictions
• Personal space
• Comfort
• Helplessness

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COMPANION ANIMAL ISSUES

• Cant stay in evacuation centres
• Cant be disregarded
• Cant be boarded with strangers
• Cant be turned away
• May require vet treatment
• Lost pets need to be reunited with owners
• People need to know there is a pet plan or they
  will not cooperate
• May pose safety threats to personnel

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COMPANION ANIMAL MANAGEMENT

• Vet stations at evacuation centres
• Transport service to friends and relatives
• Boarding if cannot go to friends
• Identification
• Coordination
• Triage
• Reuniting
• Boarding costs
• Paper trail

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Pets are important factor recovery and life
returning to normal.