Comm. Outreach Archives: Disaster Training: 2002-10-26

Please Note: Information in this archived article may no longer be accurate.

Workshop October 26, 2002

There will be a training session in Little Rock on Disaster Volunteer Training on Saturday, October 26, 2002. Please pass the word along to everyone, as we need as many volunteers interested in helping in disasters as possible!

OVERVIEW OF EARS WORKSHOP
Thank you for your interest in United Animal Nations' Emergency Animal Rescue Service and our Disaster Preparedness Workshops for EARS volunteers. The first workshop was offered in January 1994, and, since then over 4,000 people have attended.

WORKSHOP GOAL
Our goal is to prepare individuals and organizations to help all types of animals during both natural and manmade disasters. We have found there is never a shortage of individuals who want to help during an emergency, but if they are not already trained, good intentions can actually impede organized response and recovery efforts. This workshop turns those good intentions into effective efforts.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND
Do you work for a humane society, animal control agency, SPCA, animal rescue organization, emergency management agency, fire department, or law enforcement agency? If you do, you would benefit from this training. Even if you have no affiliation with an organization, but would like to do something to help animals during a disaster, our workshop is the first step. In order to volunteer you must be at least 16.

WORKSHOP CONTENT OVERVIEW

• Need for a national disaster relief program for animals.
• Information about UAN and EARS.
• Services that should be provided for animals during disasters.
• How EARS works with other local and national animal organizations during a disaster.
• How EARS works with emergency management and other human relief agencies during disasters.
• Why animal shelters need disaster plans.
• Why animals should be included in local and state disaster plans.
• An overview of the Incident Command System and other relevant information about emergency management.
• How to set up a temporary animal shelter when permanent facilities are not available.
• Acquiring supplies, rescue equipment, and animal food during a disaster.
• The forms and procedures that EARS uses (there are over 25 of them and copies are included in the workshop manual).
• How to effectively communicate during a disaster (learning about techniques and available equipment).
• How the media can assist animals and their caregivers during a disaster.
• What positions are filled by volunteers.
• How volunteers are mobilized.
• Insurance coverage for volunteers.
• Safety for volunteers and the animals that need to be rescued.
• What volunteers should bring to a disaster and what they should leave at home.
• Addressing the emotional and physical challenges of being a disaster response volunteer.
• What steps volunteers should take to ensure that they are prepared to care for the animals they are responsible for during a disaster.

To illustrate how animals are impacted by disasters, videos and slides showing EARS in action will be shown during the workshop. Each participant will receive a three ring binder, containing 190 pages of field tested, practical information. Upon completion of the workshop a certificate will be mailed to all those who attended. After a brief introduction and an overview of the day's itinerary, the group will experience an eye opening training exercise to encourage ideas and questions.

To accomplish this, smaller working groups will be formed, each one working together to create a blue print for a temporary animal shelter based on information that is given to them in a handout. There will be no hands-on animal handling in this workshop because most of the workshop participants already have this type of experience. What is more important is to learn how to manage animals in a disaster situation.

If you are looking to gain animal handling experience, we suggest you volunteer with a humane society or animal control shelter in your community. It takes repeated exposure to animals of different temperaments to learn the techniques of animal handling. A portion of a one-day class cannot teach you these skills.

SIGNING UP TO VOLUNTEER
At the end of the workshop it will be your choice whether you want to complete an EARS volunteer application. If you choose to, you will then be a resource that EARS can call upon during future disasters.Thank you again for your interest in helping animals during disasters. We hope to see you at a future Emergency Animal Rescue Service Disaster Preparedness Workshop!

HOW TO REGISTER FOR AN EARS WORKSHOP
Now that you've learned more about the EARS Disaster Preparedness Workshop, here are the steps you need to take if you want to attend:

1. Complete the Workshop Request Form included on this page and submit via email, or print it out and fax or mail to UAN. You can also enroll via the EARS Workshop Web Page.

NOTE: This form is not a registration form but is a form on which you indicate the locations/areas in which you are interested in attending a workshop.

2. We will then mail you a registration form for workshops listed on your Workshop Information Request form at least 30 days in advance of the workshop. You need to complete that registration form once you receive it in the mail and return it to UAN in order to be signed up for the workshop.

The cost for the workshop is $75 per person. If 4 to 9 people attend from the same organization the cost is $65 per person and if 10 or more people attend from the same organization the cost is $55 per person. A limited number of scholarships are available. If you are interested in applying for a scholarship, complete the Scholarship Application and submit via email or mail or fax to the UAN office. Lunch is not included in the workshop price.

Thank you again for your interest in helping animals during disasters. We hope to see you at a future Emergency Animal Rescue Service Disaster Preparedness Workshop!

EARS WORKSHOP REQUEST FORM
Thank you for your interest in attending an Emergency Animal Rescue Service Disaster Preparedness Workshop.

Please complete this Workshop Request Form, and return it to United Animal Nations. Your name will then be added to our workshop data base, and when an EARS workshop is scheduled in or near a city that is convenient to you, you will be mailed the specific registration information for that workshop at least 30 days in advance of the workshop.

NOTE: This is not a registration form but only a form to indicate your interest in workshop locations. You will still need to submit a registration form when you receive one for a specific workshop in the mail.

Please print clearly so that the information can be correctly added to the data base.

INDIVIDUAL INFORMATION -

Name:
Organization:
Date:
Address:
City:
State:
Zip:
Home Phone:
Message Phone:
Fax:
Email:

This information will be kept confidential and not given out to any other organization.

To help us schedule you for an EARS workshop, please list two major cities where you would be able to attend a workshop. Refer to the Workshop Schedule for reference.



Once you have completed this form, click to submit online or return it to:


If you have any questions, you may contact United Animal Nations at info@uan.org or (916)429-2457.

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