The Field Operations Section of SART will function much as an "on-sight" facilitator of
the emergency response effort initiated through SART (State Animal Response Team). SART,
once appraised of a County's needs, will assist that County with available resources
provided through SERT (State Emergency Response Team).
Roles and Responsibilities:
The primary effort of Field Operations will focus on assessing and assisting County
response in several ways. The first goal of Field Operations will be to deploy Assessment
Teams consisting of 1-4 individuals trained in ICS and familiar with the objectives and
resources of SERT (State Emergency Response Team) to assess each affected County's efforts
and resources. These teams will assist these Counties to address all the various needs
that might occur in different disaster situations. The second goal of Field Operations
will be to coordinate response efforts between Counties and between each County and SERT
by identifying resource needs beyond a County's ability to provide and then, relay this
information to SART Operations. Once State resources have been provided, Field Operations
will help direct and track these resources to ensure they are effective and efficient. When
the time comes for demobilization, the third goal of Field Operations will be to ensure
all bases are covered as the response comes to an end and resources are accounted for
and returned.
To accomplish its goals, Field Operations will work closely with the Planning, Logistics,
and Finances Sections of SART through an Operation's Desk located strategically in the
Incident Command Post. All requests for State resources will originate from the county
needing those resources and go through SART. Once allocated, Field Operations will
provide assessment and information as feedback to ensure progress of the response
efforts. Field Operation's organization and objectives are elaborated on more
fully in information that follows as well as some aids such as checklists that Field
Assessment Teams would use as they travel to assigned counties.
Objectives:
- Field Operations will provide SART with onsite assessment capabilities
in assigned areas.
- In-field assessments will include:
- CART evaluation (set-up and functional status)
- Benefit of State resources provided to counties
- Needs assessment for other Operations Groups (Dead/Disp.,
Feed/Shelter, and Search/Rescue)
- Provide information, assistance, and expertise to CART's.
- Assist the Safety Officer with identifying health and safety issues associated
with relief activities.
- Keep Operations Section current with reports to Operations or if situation
warrants, a Field Operations Desk located in Operations.
- Provide assistance to Demobilization Efforts (reporting etc.)
*** Note: Within Planning, there will be designated Industry Specialists who
will work with animal industry representatives to assess separate industry
response in disaster situations. Animal industries in North Carolina, such
as poultry and swine, are working on emergency response plans that will work
independently of SART unless State assistance is required. Specialists will
aid in tracking industry response efforts and coordinate SART/SERT resource
involvement when necessary.
Organization:
- Introduction:
- To provide the Operations Section of SART with current in-field
observations and reports, Field Operations plans to form and train
individuals located throughout the State. These individuals will be
assigned to "Field Ops Assessment Teams" to any area/county to
accomplish Field Ops objectives in disaster situations. The teams
can consist of as many individuals as necessary or even single
members if assignment dictates or need for a large number of teams
limits the number of members per team. The Teams will work closely with
County Animal Response Teams (CARTs) and be expected to be in place as
long as State assistance is required. A primary function of the Teams
will be to inform CARTs of SART/SERT's role in disaster response and
help determine how and when counties should request State assistance.
- Organization:
- There are two possible phases of Field Operations that need to
be considered.
- Field Assessment Teams- Assigned to work areas in disaster area
- Field Operations Desk- Located in Operations to receive reports from
Assessment Teams in Large Response Situations
- The State is organized into Eastern, Central, and Western Branches
through Emergency Management. Within each of these Branches, Field
Operations will recruit and train 10 individuals to act as Team members
and also Desk Operations when needed.
- Field Ops personnel will be provided with county maps, assessment
guidelines, and resource material for CARTs. Personnel may also be
provided transportation in situations where personal vehicles cannot
be used. See information contained in Field Ops Assessment Team
Deployment and Equipment section.
- Recruitment of Field Ops Personnel:
- Source: Team members will be recruited from the NCDA Vet Division,
CooperativeExtension, and NC School of Veterinary Medicine. Vet Division
and Cooperative Extension personnel are already stationed throughout
the State and would be expected to play a role in disaster response.
Vet School personnel would be assigned to the Central Branch region
and also man the Field Operations Desk in Operations when in use.
- Recruitment:
- Deployment: Recruitment of Team members will be with the understanding
that members will be deployed on a priority basis with the highest priority
being proximity to the assignment. If members closest to the area assignment
cannot respond due to "out of commission status" or "already assigned" then,
the next closest member(s) would be detailed.
- Permission from Supervisors: Team members will be granted permission to
serve as Field Ops personnel under the supervision of SART. Other provisions
will be made to cover their primary duties while assigned. Designation of
an employee as SART Field Operations Team Member would be considered part
of that employee's job responsibilities.
- Planning Industry Specialists
- Within Planning, there will be individuals that will work with Industry
representatives to assess disaster response from an Animal Industry
perspective.
- Large commercial industry specialists — poultry and swine representatives
These industries have separate plans in case of emergency and will operate on
their own, except in cases where they need state assistance.
- Exotic specialists - zoos, wildlife parks and large exotic collections
- These Specialists will be trained in the same manner as Field Ops
Assessment Team members but will act in a very specific role — assessment
not of a county or area response, but more, assessment of a particular animal
industry's response.
- The goal is to relieve as much of the CART's/county's burden as possible.
- Specialists will be recruited on an individual basis.
Assessment Team Organization:
- Assignment of Assessment Teams
- Assessment Teams will be assigned by Operations Section or Incident
commander. Team members will be assigned based on priority basis with the
closest members chosen first. The number of team members per team will be
based on number of teams needed and complexity of area to be assessed.
Factors to be considered would be travel difficulties, members out of
commission, and the use of members in the Central Branch area needed
for Field Operations Desk. Ideal situations would have each team (1-4
members) assigned to one county. These teams will assist and more than
likely become part of each county's CART's efforts.
- A Field Operations Desk located in SART's Operation Center will be
created and personnel assigned by the Operations Division Director at
his/her discretion . Desk operators will track Assessment Teams' reports
and facilitate communication between Teams and other elements of SART.
- Equipment and Resources for Assessment Teams
- Modes of travel will be primarily private (ie. assigned vehicle or
personal) vehicle unless other means are needed to reach assignment area.
Team members need to arrange proper parking of vehicles if other means of
travel are provided at or near the assigned area. Return to vehicle will
also need to considered once assessment is completed or situation allows.
- Each member will carry a Resource Information packet that includes:
- Maps of Counties
- Briefing of assignment and details pertinent to duty
- Identification
- Emergency travel kit
- Communication device (radio, cellular phone, other)
- Assessment Guide and CART Information
- Incident Check-in and resource data sheet forms.
- The method for communication between Operations and Assessment Teams
will be decided upon by Operations and provisions made to equip each Team
with equipment and numbers etc..
- Area Assessment
- Once assigned, Assessment Teams will check-in at the County Emergency
Operation Center if no other check-in procedure has been designated. Each
Team's assignment briefing should have the name of the CART/county animal
response contact.
- Using the Assessment guide, the Team will first assess the CART to
determine actions already completed, in progress, and planned. A primary
objective for the Team is to assist the CART's in organization and
utilization of County resources where possible. The Assessment Team
Checklist will aid Team members to prevent oversights.
- Next, Teams will assist the CART's to indentify response deficiencies
and locate resources needed. Counties are to meet their own needs until
it becomes impossible to respond due to lack of personnel or equipment.
Thus, the priority order for response requests will be:
- 1st county
- 2nd adjacent county
- 3rd state(SERT)
- Assessment Teams will ensure that each CART/County has a reporting mechanism
in place to pass information to Operation (Field Operations Desk). Operation's
Groups such as Search/Rescue, Dead/Disposal and Feed/Shelter will receive copies
of these reports. All REQUESTS FOR ASSISTANCE will be made by a CART's/county
representative.
- Assessment Teams will monitor assigned State resources whenever possible to
ensure efficacy and efficiency. Teams will provide Tracking forms to contract
volunteer work teams. Planning/Operations will use these reports to aid in
decisions concerning next 24hrs actions, demobilization etc.
- Assessment Checklist Once Teams Arrive*
- Animal Needs: Three general categories.
- Livestock/poultry (cattle, horses,swine,poultry, small ruminants)
- Small Animal (pets incl. dogs, cats, birds, etc)
- Exotic/Wildlife (petting zoos, zoos, exotics collections, captive
wildlife, ostrich/emu farms etc.)
- Safety Issues: Include but not limited to:
- Hazardous rescue conditions (ie. flood, severe weather, contamination
by waste, pollutants, and /or chemicals, etc.)
- Dangerous animals or compromised handling situation/facilities
- Potential disease outbreaks (zoonotic and animal disease). Also,
quarantine breaks due to disaster (ie. existing quarantines such as EIA
Scrapie, PRV etc. State Vet. Office/NCDA will advise.)
- County Resources:
- Personnel available to man CART and also carry out tasks at hand
- Resources (equipment, special needs (air or boat transport etc.))
- Function of existing facilities such as Power, water/sewage, roadways,
communication, feed mills, rendering facilities, landfills, etc.)
- Status of county entities such as Animal Control, Extension, Department
of Transportation, etc.
