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Supporting Animal Disasters�Through Establishing & Managing�an Animal Supply Point

A Review of Suggested Best Practices for Establishing and Managing an Animal Supply Point

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Purpose of an Animal Supply Point

Provides needed resources
Stopgap
Recovery time

Pipeline for donations
Mechanism to track resource distribution

Animal supply points serve many purposes for a community beginning to recover from a disaster. Through an animal supply point, livestock owners will have access to resources such as feed and hay that they may have lost during a disaster. An animal supply point can also serve as a stopgap for access to supplies and other resources that livestock and pet owners need that the local damaged animal supply infrastructure cannot provide. By not having to focus on receiving and distributing resources, the local animal supply infrastructure can focus on rebuilding or repairing damaged facilities back to operational status. An animal supply point can provide a location where a steady stream of donated resources can be distributed in the impact zone. Animal supply points also provide a system to track all resources purchased or donated by individuals and companies and how much and to whom these resources are distributed.

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Questions When Planning for an Animal Supply Point

Where?

What?

Who?

When?

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An ASP Location Should…

Be centrally located
Be easy to access
Be secured with ingress and egress points
Have hard-surface areas with room to operate equipment
Have access to a covered area or enclosed building

When determining where to locate an animal supply point, several key things should be considered. These include a site that is as centrally located to the impact zone as possible to reduce travel time for livestock and pet owners coming and going from the animal supply point. The site should be easy to access with clearly marked ingress and egress points occupied by staff. This aids in the safe flow of traffic in and out of the animal supply point, maintaining resource receipt and distribution records and enhancing site security. The animal supply point should have a large, open, hard-surface area where hay and other oversized or heavy items can be stored and where equipment can be safely operated when unloading and loading. Ensuring the site has a covered area, preferably with a concrete floor, or an enclosed building helps to keep feed and other resources dry while reducing the risk of loss through theft.

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An ASP Location Should Also Have…

Access to electrical power
Working or portable restrooms and handwashing stations
Office space
Areas for breaks and meals
Panels or fencing to secure stored resources
24/7 on-site security

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Potential ASP Locations�

County fairgrounds
Rodeo arenas
Sale barns or other livestock holding facilities
School agricultural farms
Cooperative Extension offices
Horse stables
Community centers

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What Resources Will Be Offered?

Resources for livestock and pets
Types of feed
Types of hay
Mineral and salt blocks
Veterinary supplies
Animal care supplies
Water-related items
Human relief supplies

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Equipment Needs

Pickups
Tractors
Light towers
Computers
Flatbed trailers
Skid steers

Portable radios
Printers and copiers
Pallet jacks
Generators
Portable panels
Internet hotspots

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Recommended Staffing

Operations Lead
Safety Officer
Logistics Officer
Public Information Officer
Heavy Equipment Operators
Loading Yard Team
Office Staff

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Suggested Training for All Team Members

ICS-100: Introduction to the Incident Command System
ICS-200: Basic Incident Command System for Initial Response
ICS-300: Intermediate ICS for Expanding Incidents
ICS-400: Advanced Incident Command System
IS-29.a: Public Information Officer Awareness
IS-700: National Incident Management System (NIMS), An Introduction
IS-800: National Response Framework (NRF), An Introduction
Adult cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and basic first aid

Animal supply point staff need to be trained. All staff members should be trained in the basics of the Incident Command System (ICS), the National Incident Management System (NIMS), and the National Response Framework (NRF). These are the systems emergency management officials and first responders use during an event. Knowing how to work inside these systems and how to communicate effectively with disaster response leadership and with first responders during an event is critical. Completion of these courses will help staff understand these concepts more thoroughly. Exercising these concepts with other agencies and officials can also provide real-world scenarios where ICS and NIMS concepts can be practiced. Contact your state’s department of emergency management or the Federal Emergency Management Agency to learn about the Incident Command System and ICS general and position-specific training opportunities. In addition, a good practice is to have staff members complete CPR and first aid training.

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Staff and volunteer time – ICS Form 214
Resources received
Resources distributed
Resources purchased
Donors of resources
Recipients of resources
Daily burn rate
Daily inventory
Equipment

Recordkeeping

Recordkeeping is extremely important. Things to track include staff and volunteer time. An easy way to track staff and volunteer work time is by using an ICS Form 214. This form is a daily log of activities performed by an individual during a deployment and is acceptable documentation when requesting reimbursement. The type and amount of resources received or distributed should be tracked along with resources purchased or donated. Donor information should be logged to document the donation for tax purposes. Those receiving resources should also be noted. A daily burn rate and daily inventory levels should be calculated and reported to appropriate leadership to aid in operational planning needs. Equipment used, fuel used, repairs needed or made, and ownership should also be tracked. Using Excel spreadsheets or other inventory-related software can help manage daily inventory levels and provide a record of the total efforts of the operation.

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The Last Question is When…

Will the ASP become operational?
Does the ASP open and close each day?
Are daily shift changes?
Do workers take breaks and meals?
Do teams rotate?
Will the ASP demobilize?

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Demobilizing the Animal Supply Point

Set time and date operations will close
Clean and repair equipment
Return rented or borrowed equipment
Plan for leftover supplies and feed

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After-Action Review

Time to debrief
What went right?
What can be improved upon?
Review equipment needs
Discuss resource and personnel gaps
Identify any redundancies
Outline corrective actions and lessons learned
Incorporate recommendations
Animal Issues Plan

It is highly recommended to have those that served at an animal supply point come back together in a structured environment within 2 weeks of a deployment to complete an after-action review, or AAR. An AAR provides individuals an opportunity to debrief after a deployment with the purpose of identifying improvements in planning, policies, procedures, and actions. Things such as what went right, areas for improvement, equipment issues, and resource and personnel gaps can be identified and reviewed. Any operational redundancies, corrective measures, and lessons learned can be outlined. Such information can be incorporated into team guidance to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the team in future deployments. If possible, take time to review a local jurisdiction’s animal issues plan regarding how the plan preformed during the event.

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References

U.S. Department of Agriculture. (2016). USDA Preparedness Fact Sheet – Do YOU Have a Plan for Your Livestock Should Disaster Strike? https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/usda-livestock-preparedness-fact-sheet.pdf
California Department of Food and Agriculture. (2022). Disaster Preparedness for Livestock Owners. https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/ahfss/Animal_Health/pdfs/DisasterPreparednessLivestockOwners.pdf

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Acknowledgments

Monty Dozier, Ph.D.

Associate Professor and Extension Program Director,

Disaster Assessment and Recovery Program

Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service

This project was supported with funding from the Extension Disaster Education Network (EDEN) utilizing Food and Agriculture Defense Initiative (FADI) funding from the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, United States Department of Agriculture under NIFA/USDA Agreement No. 2018-37620-28830.

The Extension Disaster Education Network prohibits discrimination against any individual or community based on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, age, national origin or ancestry, genetic information, marital status, parental status, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, disability, or status as a veteran.