COMPANION ANIMALS IN DISASTER MANAGEMENT

A STATE GOVERNMENT PERSPECTIVE

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

What is an emergency and what is a disaster?

EMERGENCYAny event which exceeds the resources of the local area so invokes the Emergency Management legal provisions.

DISASTERAny event which exceeds the resources of the jurisdiction so invokes the Disaster Management legal provisions.

Precursors for disaster...

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.

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

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

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

Emergencies

– Granville train disaster– Westgate Bridge

collapse– Eyre Peninsula fires– Marble mountains

Newcastle disease– Equine Influenza

outbreak

Disasters

– Ash Wednesday– Cyclone Tracey– Darwin bombing– Cyclone Mahina

1899 – Brisbane floods

1974– Pt Arthur massacre

When you need good friends - it’s 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.

Uphill … in the dead

Map 32

Map 35

Map 33

Map 34

...at the

of 4 mapsintersection

PUB

……miles from miles from the nearest the nearest pub!pub!

of night

Declarations

• State Coordinator may declare an “Identified Major Incident”. (for a period not exceeding 12 hours).

• State Coordinator may declare a “Major Emergency”. Not > 48 hours. Extended with Governor’s approval.

• Governor may declare a “Disaster”. 96 hours. Revokable by Governor or may be extended by agreement of both Houses of Parliament.

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.

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

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.

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).

THE STATE DISASTER ORGANISATION

STATE COORDINATOR .... MINISTER .... GOVERNOR

ZEOCs ……. SEOC .......... NEMCC (EMA)

AGRICULTURE FIRE STATE EMERGENCY SERVICE & ANIMAL SERVICES

HEALTH & COMMUNITY SERVICES AMBULANCE MEDICAL & FIRST AID MEDIA

ENGINEERING POLICE LOGISTICS

DEFENCE FORCE (SA) COMMUNICATIONS

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

So, where do companion animals fit?

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

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.

EVACUATION CENTRE STRESS

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

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

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

Pets are important factor recovery and life returning to “normal”.

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