ID
1-508-1229
Name
Companion Animal Decontamination Team
Status
Published
Version
1.6
Updated
11/15/2019 5:06:20 PM
Original Release
06/19/2018
Last Major Release
11/15/2019
Description
A Companion Animal Decontamination Team provides companion animal intake, radiological assessment (if applicable), decontamination, and re-monitoring (if applicable)—followed by release to owners if animals are adequately clean or transfer to a longer-term holding facility if animals are persistently contaminated. For purposes of this document only, companion animals include pets, assistance animals, and service animals.
Resource Category
Animal Emergency Response
Primary Core Capability
Environmental Response/Health and Safety
Secondary Core Capability
Resource Kind
Team
Overall Function
This team manages the decontamination of companion animals after incidents involving hazardous materials, including debris, floodwaters, and radiological contamination. Specifically, this team:
1. Sets up all equipment at a designated “warm zone” site
2. Accepts animals from their owners or caretakers for rapid triage (behavioral and health), identification, and initial monitoring; Note: In some radiological incidents, this team may ask owners to participate actively in decontaminating their animals, per incident policies; Owner participation is less likely in non-radiological incidents
3. Transfers severely injured or ill animals to veterinary medical personnel for stabilization prior to decontamination, if resources permit, according to incident policies
4. Decontaminates animals using techniques appropriate for contaminant, species, breed, environmental conditions, and available resources
5. Monitors and re-monitors animals after decontamination in radiological incidents
6. Releases adequately decontaminated animals to their owners, or transfers animals to emergency animal shelters if owners are not available to claim animals
7. Performs repeat decontamination on persistently contaminated animals, or transfers such animals to a designated holding area
8. Disposes of wastewater and other waste in accordance with incident policies
Composition and Ordering Specifications
1. Discuss logistics for deploying this team, such as working conditions, length of deployment, security, lodging, transportation, and meals, prior to deployment
2. Requestor specifies desired capabilities for a single line of animal decontamination operations for a specific period
3. This team may require supporting utilities, including water, power, and sewer/wastewater disposal. For large-scale incidents, this team may require additional supplies, including Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), disposable leashes, pet collars, surfactant, drying towels, and other supplies. Requestor should discuss expected numbers of animals for decontamination and team supply needs before placing order
4. Particularly in radiological incidents, requestor should discuss whether this team will establish a second or even third decontamination line in which owners can bathe and dry their own animals, with monitoring, coaching, and supervision. Requestor may need to order additional single resources to support this option. Consider local jurisdictional policies and liability in decisions about owners decontaminating their own animals
5. Discuss whether the incident requires 24-hour operations and whether very large numbers of animals will need monitoring or decontamination, and order teams accordingly
6. Discuss any additional just-in-time training necessary to comply with incident policy
Supporting Core Capabilities |
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None |
Components | ||||||||||||||
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Component | Notes | |||||||||||||
MINIMUM PERSONNEL PER TEAM | Not Specified |
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MANAGEMENT AND OVERSIGHT PERSONNEL PER TEAM | Not Specified |
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SUPPORT PERSONNEL PER TEAM | 1. Add drivers based on the number of vehicles used for transport. Driver is not a NIMS typed position. 2. A driver may be one of the team members, depending on the vehicle and the team member's driving credentials. 3. Logistics Specialist is not a NIMS typed position. |
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Minimum Capacity Per Team | For radiological incidents, not every animal will need decontamination. Cited numbers emphasize animals that need decontamination and not those that the team simply returns to their owners. |
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Decontamination Equipment Per Team | 1. Requestor and provider discuss equipment needs and what supplies the requestor will provide. 2. If location has running water or requestor can provide water, requestor may waive water requirements |
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Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Equipment Per Team Member | The following regulation addresses PPE: Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) 29 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 1910.132: Personal Protective Equipment. |
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Communications Equipment Per Team Member | Not Specified |
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TRANSPORTATION EQUIPMENT PER TEAM | Not Specified |
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Notes |
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References |
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Reference |
FEMA, NIMS 509: Animal Emergency Response Team Leader |
FEMA, NIMS 509: Veterinarian |
FEMA, NIMS 509: Veterinary Assistant |
FEMA, NIMS 509: Animal Behaviorist |
FEMA, NIMS 509: Animal Decontamination Specialist |
FEMA, NIMS 509: Animal Care and Handling Specialist |
FEMA, National Incident Management System (NIMS), October 2017 |
FEMA Radiological Emergency Preparedness (REP) Program Manual, FEMA P-1028, 2016 |
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) 29 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 1910.132: Personal Protective Equipment, latest edition adopted |
National Alliance of State Animal and Agricultural Emergency Programs (NASAAEP) Animal Decontamination Best Practices, 2012 |