Link to this Sunday's PetSaver Seminar
July 26, 2010
I have posted an invitation to this Sunday's PetSaver Seminar in Ridgefield, CT.
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=134619193236856&ref=ts
I have posted an invitation to this Sunday's PetSaver Seminar in Ridgefield, CT.
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=134619193236856&ref=ts
Why is it important to take your pets with you during an evacuation? If it’s not safe for you, then it’s not safe for them. Additionally, there is no guarantee you can go home in a couple of hours. It was several weeks before the residents displaced by Hurricane Katrina were able to come home. During that time more than 8,000 animals were rescued, but 600,000 are still missing or confirmed dead.
If you look hard enough, you can find a silver lining in any circumstance. Hurricane Katrina’s silver linin is The Pet Evacuation and Transportation Standard of 2006. It requires that any State and Local Government receiving Stafford Act Homeland Security funding include household pet evacuation planning in their Emergency Operation Plan. FEMA acknowledged that it would serve the population well to have STRUCTURED animal rescue in addition to human rescue. Planning for pet evacuation will expedite the evacuation of people. Statistics show that pets are the main reason people return home while it is still unsafe. This also places first responders at risk as they re-rescue the same people. Each state is issued a charter to develop an animal response team. It is largely made up of volunteers.
People who plan for an emergency fare better than those who don’t. The best plan is to PLAN to be far away.
Plan a four directional driving route. Plan each direction 100 miles out. It won’t help to only plan a northern route if the evacuation order is to go south. Know where the pet-friendly hotels are along each route. Calling ahead will secure your reservation. There are several internet sites to help you: www.pet-friendly-hotels.com, www.petswelcome.com and www.bringyourpet.com.
If family members evacuate separately, designate a meeting place or have an out of area contact for everyone to check in with. In addition, you can set up a buddy system with a trusted neighbor or friend. If one is out of the area, the other can evacuate all the pets. Please check on elderly or housebound neighbors before you leave.
Turn off your utilities: gas, water and electric. As long as it is not during an evacuation, your local fire department can show you how to do it. If you have time, secure your home.
To evacuate quickly, it’s important to have prepared kits ready to go.
Keep some old blankets, flashlight with extra batteries or glowsticks, energy bars, bottled water and a first aid kit in your car at all times. Keep your gas tank full.
EVACUATION FIRST AID KIT FOR BOTH PEOPLE AND PETS:
PET EVACUATION KIT:
YOUR EVACUATION KIT:
Take a pet and human first aid class. These are perishable skills. You need to take these classes every two years. To find a pet first aid instructor, go to www.pettech.net. To find a human first aid instructor, inquire at your local hospital or local fire department.
The best plan for any disaster is to PLAN to be far away from it. Material items can be replaced, a life cannot. If the order to evacuate is given, go and take your pets with you. Friends don’t leave friends behind.
If you cannot leave the area, do you know where the designated people and pet shelters are? Every locality has an Emergency Management Office. Contact them before an emergency arises.
Daryl Conner and her lovely husband, Chris; were so kind as to let us use her kitchen for the last day of Instructor Training. We would like to welcome two new Instructors, Karla Schwarz and Bill Weiler.
Many thanks to Liz of Yankee Clipper in Rockport, Maine for allowing us to use her grooming shop for Day Two of the Instructor Training. This class covered marketing and teaching techniques.
We just held the eight hour Pet Tech Pet CPR, First Aid and Care PetSaver Seminar with Daryl Conner in Rockland, Maine. Below are photos from that class. This class was entirely pet professionals. So, hats off to these caring individuals who have just raised the bar for our industry.