FRESNO – The Central California Animal Disaster Team will be hosting a free workshop on Saturday, Jan. 18, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. for Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) members and other emergency responders.
The purpose of this workshop is to teach CERT members and other emergency responders how to safely and appropriately respond in emergency events involving animals.
Topics include the following:
• Animal Issues in Emergency Management: Why animal response is an essential component of emergency.
• Animal-Related Emergency Management Functions: Emergency management functions that require handling, containing, or managing animals.
• General Animal Behavior: Behavior patterns of predator and prey animals, domesticated animals, and specific species, including wild and exotic animals.
• The Role of CERT in responding to Animal Issues: CERT functions that may include the handling, containment, or management of animals.
• CERT Responder Safety When Dealing With Animals: General response when encountering animals, avoiding zoonotic disease transmission, personal protective equipment and behaviors, caring for injuries caused by animals, and psychological self-care.
Instructors will be Naomi E. Flam, Founder of the Central CA Animal Disaster Team, and Daniel DeSousa, Deputy Director of San Diego County Animal Services.
Since 2007, Naomi Flam has lead efforts in the central valley for disaster preparedness for animals. She has deployed throughout the USA with the Humane Society of the US and American Humane Association to assist with emergency animal sheltering during major disasters. In addition, she has worked on animal hoarding and illegal animal fighting cases.
In 2011, she founded the Central California Animal Disaster Team that assists emergency response agencies with animal evacuation and emergency sheltering during disasters.
During his 24 years in Animal Services for San Diego County, Daniel DeSousa has evacuated hundreds of animals during the fires, floods and landslides that have impacted the residents of the county and their pets. Now as Deputy Director for the Department, he is responsible for coordinating the response of the Animal Control Officers to wildfires and other emergencies.
To register, please RSVP to Naomi E. Flam at naomiflam@ccadt.org. Please include your contact information.
The location is the Valley Animal Center, 3934 N. Hayston Ave. in Fresno. The deadline to register is Jan. 10, and the workshop is free.
For more information, visit http://www.ccadt.org
