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Historic, Archive Document Do assume not content reflects current scientific knowledge, policies, or practices. 0881 Animal Welfare Summer 2000 Information Center Vol. 11, No. 1-2 ISSN: 1522-7553 Bulletin CONGRESS Disaster Planning for Research SESSION and Laboratory Animal Facilities IN • H.R.1501 To provide grants to by ensure increased accountabil- Sebastian E. Heath, VetMB, Ph.D., DACVIM, DACVPM Washington, D.C. ity for juvenile offenders. http://www.animaldisasters.com Introduced on April 21, 1999, by [email protected] Bill McCollum (R-Florida) and was re- Introduction ported the Disaster Resistant Univer- ferred to the Committee on the Judi- Since 1996, the Institute ofLabora- sities initiatives (8). FEMA has made ciary. As ofApril 11, 2000, the bill had tory Animal Resources (ELAR) Guide this commitment also in an attempt to passed the Senate with an amendment for Care and Use ofLaboratory Animals protect Federal investment in U.S. re- and a House Conference was meeting recommends that research and labora- search. The Disaster Resistant Univer- to resolve differences. This act may be tory animal facilities have a disaster pre- sities initiative is currently in its second cited as the "Violent and Repeat Juve- paredness plan. This is a prudent recom- year offunding. To date the focus ofthis nile Offender Accountability and Reha- mendation, because over US$10 billion program has been on protecting human bilitation Act of 1999." a year are spent at nearly 2,000 facilities safety; providing continuity ofresearch, SEC. 1520. APPLICATION OF on biological research involving animals teaching, and service activities; and sus- PROVISION RELATING TO A SEN- in the United States. Protecting this huge taining community economies TENCE OF DEATH FOR AN ACT OF investment in biological research is vital Clearly, ILAR and FEMA have ANIMAL ENTERPRISE TERROR- ifthe United States is to remain at the similar interests in protecting research; ISM. forefront ofbiological research in the however, they have different priorities. Section 3591 of title 18, United world. The emphasis ofthe Disaster Resistant States Code (relating to circumstances The value ofdisaster preparedness Universities initiative has been on under which a defendant may be sen- to laboratory animal facilities has been strengthening critical infrastructure, the (Legislation cont'd p. 21) highlighted in recent years, because of benefits of which are distributed over several large scale disasters that have long periods oftime. By contrast, the impacted the U.S. research investment. emphasis for the care ofresearch ani- ALSO IN THIS ISSUE... Examples ofrecent large scale disasters mals in disasters is to save animal lives that have impacted research facilities in- and ongoing research, which may only AltWeb-Alternatives p. 9 clude the Northridge, California, earth- be possible within a short (12-48 hour) Humane Education Loan Program p.1 quake (1994), Hurricane Opal (1995) window oftime. There are also differ- FOoEunCdDatHiuonmaFnunedEinndgpofoirntRsefGiuniedmeent pp..1124 ((11)9,9R6)e(d2)R,ivNeer,wMYionrnkeshoetaat,wfalvooeds enenscse.sSiinnecxepetrhteilsaetein19di7s0a'ssteermperregpeanrcedy- IAnPtHerInSatiWoensatl NNielwesVirus Safety Tips pp..1174 t(o1r9n9a7d)o(e3)s,(B1o9w98l)i(n4g),Grweeesnt,ceKnetnrtaulcIknyd,i- msiaonnawgietmheantmihsassioenmearngdetdraacskarepcroofredso-f USDA Pain and Distress Extension p.17 ana blizzards (1999), and a break-in by systematically increasing the level ofdi- USDA Pain and Distress FR Notice p.1 animal rights activists in Puyallup, saster resistance ofcommunities and 1999 Animal Welfare Report p.1 Washington (1999)(5). In addition to businesses. By comparison, there is still APHIS Employee Survey-IACUCs p.20 these incidents, several forums at na- a critical need in the (biological) re- Senate Report on Cockfighting p.26 tional meetings (6) and publications (7) search community for guidelines on how Grants p.28 have raised awareness of the need for di- to develop and implement effective Paper Trails Protect Pets p.28 saster preparedness in research animal Emergency Operations Plans (EOPs) Announcements p.29 facilities. The purpose ofthis article is to ex- Animal Welfare Stays atNIH p.3 Since 1998 the Federal Emergency emplify how the principles ofemer- AWIC AWA Workshops for 2001 p.32 Management Agency (FEMA) has sup- gency management apply to emergency MD National Agricultural Library, AWIC, Beltsville, 20705 Phone (301)504-6212 Fax (301)504-7125 E-mail [email protected] operations planning at research animal facilities. This summary mens stored in freezers and refrigerators, deviations from re- is also intended to provide a pragmatic basis for EOP develop- search protocols, and loss and corruption ofdata. ment by persons responsible for developing disaster prepared- Effective EOPs, therefore, aim to minimize the risk ofdis- ness plans at laboratory and research animal facilities. ruptions due to any cause. This approach is called function-based planning. Function-based planning is different and The Application of Emergency more effective than incident-based planning. Incident-based Management Concepts to Laboratory plans are frequently developed in response to a disaster or prepared for a limited number of scenarios-for example, hurricanes and Research Facilities and floods, but not fires-and, therefore, increase vulnerability to unexpected disasters. Legal Concepts Everydaypreparedness is the bestprotection against Emergency Operations Plans are mandated extraordinary events Most EOPs have a legal basis. In a formal EOP, the legal Understanding that disasters manifest themselves princi- basis for the plan is stated in references to documents that con- pally as functional disruptions, it is not hard to imagine that di- tain the mandate for having a plan and identify any parties that sasters affect the weakest function first. Examples ofthe weak- play a role in the disaster response and preparedness. Legal ref- est functions are minor inconveniences and disruptions that are erences relevant to research animal facilities include obligations often tolerated, such as unexpected staffabsenteeism; short term to comply with the Animal Welfare Act, ILAR guidelines to failure ofpower, heating, or cooling; and security breaches. have a disaster preparedness plan, Association for the Accredita- However, when disaster strikes, these minor inconveniences fre- tion and Assessment ofLaboratory Animal Care International quently preoccupy response and recovery efforts. (AAALAC) certification standards, institutional environmental Therefore, a useful initial step in disaster preparedness health and safety or Occupational Safety and Health Administra- planning is to identify and correct common causes ofdisruption tion (OSHA) standards, and other institutional documents, such first. The elimination ofexisting and common causes ofevery- as mission statements to perform research, teaching and service day disruptions is an effective way to increase the threshold at activities, and empowerment of institutional security and fire de- which disasters lead to major disruptions. Once common causes partments. ofdisruptions have been addressed, further attention can be The importance oflegal statements goes beyond establish- given to identifying and preventing cataclysmic (and often hy- ing the authority under which an EOP exists. By having a formal pothetical) events. (signed) representation in a plan, multiple stakeholders are given Effectivepreparedness is hierarchical the opportunity to contribute to planning for and responding to disasters. This buy-in increases the practicality of a plan and re- Effective preparedness starts with personal preparedness duces grounds for liability litigation in the event ofa disaster. (personal safety, preparedness at home, ability to come to work), followed by worksite preparedness (continuity ofanimal care Concepts of Disaster Preparedness and research, meeting environmental and health safety and Regardless ofthe cause ofmostdisasters the impacts are OSHA standards), and culminates in community preparedness. Personal preparedness is the first step in creating a culture similar ofdisaster preparedness in the workplace. Materials that pro- mote personal disaster preparedness are published by the Ameri- emergAelntchyoumgahnalagregme-esnctalaegienncciideesnthsavatetrlaocntgwriedceosgpnriezaeddatthtaetntrieo-n, can Red Cross and FEMA (9). These publications can be distributed to employees and researchers. The relevance ofthese mate- gardless of the cause (and scale) of most disasters their impacts are often similar. For example, many different causes ofnatural rials is to convey an understanding that personal disaster pre- and technological disasters can lead to common impacts, such as paredness is the basis for providing animal care in a disaster as power failures, failure ofheating and cooling systems, chemical well as sustaining research activities. Disaster preparedness in the workplace seeks to reduce di- spills, insufficient staff, security breaches, and animal escapes. Because the impacts of many disasters are similar, emer- rect and indirect losses resulting from disasters. Direct losses in- gency managers have adopted an "all-hazards" approach to di- clude injury and death of humans and animals, damage to build- saster preparedness and response. All-hazards preparedness fo- ings and equipment, loss ofresearch data, and delays in the pub- cuses on preventing likely and common effects from any type of lication of scientific data. Indirect losses from disasters include a disaster, and on reducing the likely consequences resulting from loss ofcompetitive edge in research, loss ofinstitutional reputa- these effects. tion, and decreased local economy as trade with local vendors is reduced. Reducing direct and indirect losses should be the over- Disasters invariably leadtofunctional (operational) all goal ofan EOP. Losses are smallest when the disruptions to disruptions animal care and research are minimized. When disasters shut down research facilities, the disaster The impacts ofdisasters in turn lead to predictable disrup- also indirectly affects the institution as a whole and the commu- tions (consequences) in functions that are necessary to maintain nity that provides services and supplies to the institution. There- an appropriate standard ofanimal care and research continuity. fore, the community in which a research facility is located is the Examples of disruptions in research animal facilities include in- ultimate beneficiary ofbetter disaster preparedness. Community jury and death of animals, contamination oftissue cultures, tem- preparedness involves an integrated approach to planning in- perature fluctuations in incubators, inadvertent thawing ofspeci- volving personal preparedness among staffand researchers, 2 AWIC Bulletin, Summer 2000, Volume 11, No. 1-2 workplace and institutional preparedness, and contingency plans It is nota matterofifdisasters will occur, but ofwhen to sustain community economies involved in providing services they willoccur FEMA and supplies. initiatives, such as "Disaster Resistant Uni- versities" and "Project Impact" (10), have greatly enhanced This assumption (and years ofexperiences) has led emer- community disaster resistance and serve as models for commu- gency managers to the understanding that disasters are cyclical nity preparedness. events (12) (fig. 1). The importance ofthis cyclical concept is that facilities are always in at least one ofthe four phases ofa Training consists ofsequentialexercises that buildon one disaster: mitigation, preparedness, response, or recovery. The another cyclical nature ofdisasters implies that planning does not end with the publication of a document (plan). Disaster preparedness Similar to the hierarchical basis for effective preparedness, is a continual effort in which the phases ofthe cycle ofemer- effective disaster preparedness training is progressive. The sim- gency management are constantly being anticipated, reviewed, plest and first level ofexercise is an orientation, followed by ta- and improved. ble top exercises and drills, then functional and full-scale exercises. FEMA recommends a Comprehensive Exercise Program Concepts of Disaster Response with a progressive sequence ofexercises of increasing complex- ity, which is repeated every 2 to 4 years (11). Disaster-relatedresponsibilities shouldbe assignedto A common mistake in designing exercises is to let enthusi- positions notpersons asm take over and to plan for a full-scale exercise early in the planning process. Overzealous full-scale exercises often accom- Function-based planning includes assigning planning and plish little, because they lack specific objectives and goals. The response responsibilities to positions rather than individual per- goal ofall exercises is to improve on weak areas that have been sons. People go on vacation, leave, or can be otherwise unavail- identified in previous exercises and incidents. able, whereas their position and their responsibilities generally Identifying specific objectives for training and exercises is do not. part ofexercise design and planning. Objectives can be as sim- To ensure that planning and response responsibilities are ple as a review ofprocedures or more complex, such as testing met by positions rather than persons, these responsibilities have specific functions (drills) such as establishing communications to be defined in employees' job descriptions. Job descriptions or evacuating animals in cages along fire escape routes. Courses should also include methods to transfer responsibilities when on how to prepare exercises are available through most states' people go on leave. When positions fulfill critical functions, public safety training institutes or emergency management agen- such as feeding and watering research animals, thesejobs should cies. It is highly recommended that training in exercise design be defined as "essential" within the institution. By making these be sought before planning more than an orientation. positions essential, in the event of a large-scale disaster, quali- Figure 1. The cycle ofemergency management. MITIGATION _ RECOVERY PREPAREDNESS «J 4. RESPONSE Mitigation: Measures that prevent or reduce the impact ofdisasters. Preparedness: Planning, training, and educational activities for things that cannot be mitigated. Response: The immediate aftermath of a disaster, when business is not as usual. Recovery: The long-term aftermath of a disaster, when restoration efforts are in addition to regular services. AWIC Bulletin, Summer 2000, Volume 11, No. 1-2 3 fied persons will be allowed access to the facilities and be able swerable to the Incident Manager are Chiefs ofOperations, to complete their duties. Planning, Logistics, and Finance. These sections are responsible for executing orders, gathering intelligence, supporting respond- The bestrespondersperform similarduties in disasters as ers, and procuring resources, respectively. In addition, a Safety they do every day Officer oversees human safety and can intervene whenever human safety is at risk. A Public Information Officer handles all The most effective persons to respond to disrupted opera- communications between the Incident Manager and the public tions at an animal care or research facility are the same persons and the media. who regularly perform these duties. By contrast, the least effec- Some hospitals have adapted the ICS, the Hospital Incident tive persons to respond to disasters are those who get called only Command System (HICS), to meet specific issues arising in in a disaster. Personnel who regularly work in a particular area medical facilities during disasters. In these institutions, emer- are also usually the most experienced at effective problem solv- gency programs for laboratory animals should be integrated into ing in that area. the HICS already in use. The reliance on experienced persons to respond to disasters Training in incident management is available from State also reduces the need for developing extensive Standard Oper- and local emergency management agencies, as well as many in- ating Procedures (SOPs) for special use in disasters, because stitutional fire and law enforcement (security) departments. these SOPs have usually already been established for other circumstances. For example, there is little need for specific guide- A manageable span ofcontrolprevents over-extension of lines for feeding and maintaining laboratory animals in disas- responsibilities in a disaster ters, ifthese tasks can be completed by already competent staff. However, to ensure that qualified persons can complete these Demands on personnel at all levels can be overwhelming tasks, an EOP would specify that regular care providers are the in a disaster, even when planning has occurred. A common designated care providers for animals in disasters, and they per- shortcoming in response to disasters is that responders take on form these duties by being given access to the facilities and by more responsibilities than they can manage. This is particularly relying on existing SOPs. Much time in writing a plan can be true for animal care providers, many of whom will risk personal saved by incorporating existing SOPs as appendixes to the EOP. harm to prevent animal injuries or loss of animal life. As a result ofbeing over-extended, staffmay not be able to perform any of During the response (immediate aftermath)phase ofa their tasks adequately. disasternotall issues can receive equalattention Emergency managers prevent over-extension by imposing a manageable span ofcontrol. In most cases, the losses associated with disasters are A manageable span ofcontrol dictates that one person does caused by: loss ofdata (for example, animals, records), lack of not oversee more than five others. A manageable span ofcon- access (for example, to facilities, animals, and data), and short- trol, therefore, determines the basic structure ofthe Incident age ofpersonnel (for example, staffcannot come to work or are Management System. overwhelmed by the number oftasks placed on them). Because ofpredictable multiple causes of losses, planning should address During the recovery (long-term aftermath)phase ofa each potential cause and establish criteria to prioritize areas in disaster, multiple activities needto be accomplished which greatest losses should be minimized first. The decision on where to focus efforts in an attempt to se- During the recovery phase ofa disaster, staffoften take on lectively reduce losses is not easy. In animal research facilities, additional duties and activities in addition to their regularjobs. disasters may necessitate making decisions that balance animal These extra duties consist ofactivities needed to return service welfare with scientific progress. For example, the appropriate- back to normal and are in addition to the service and research ness ofsaving a few unique transgenic animals or animals in the activities provided before the disaster. Because ofthis extra end phase of a long-term study may need to be weighed against work load, many employees feel most pressured during the re- saving a large number ofstandardized animals not currently in a covery period. Frustrations and complaints escalate, frequently trial. Criteria used to decide priorities for response are best iden- leading to employees leaving theirjobs, resulting in costly staff tified in collaboration with appropriate stake holders, including turn-over and retraining ofnew employees. health and safety officers, laboratory animal veterinarians, re- Prior planning will alleviate some ofthe stress ofthe researchers, and representatives ofthe Animal Care and Use Com- covery period. However, in addition to an increased work load, mittee. the psychological impact ofa disaster associated with loss ofanimal life, animal suffering, combined with feelings ofa limited The Incident Management (Command) System is the most ability to do anything about it may need to be addressed. Emer- effective method to coordinate the response to a disaster gency managers use critical incident stress debriefing (13) and Red Cross mental health counseling services to help them deal During the response phase to a disaster, there will be com- with these stresses. Stress counseling is most effective when it petition for scarce resources. Decisions on how to prioritize use has been incorporated as part ofregular disaster preparedness ofresources may seem overwhelming. However, the burden of efforts. choices is greatly reduced through prior planning and by using a centralized structure for communications, chain of authority, Activities to Initiate Emergency and decision making during the response. Emergency managers make effective decisions by using Operations Planning the Incident Management System. The Incident Management System consists of an Incident Manager (Commander), who has The goal ofemergency operations planning is to increase on-site decision making power over the use ofresources. An- the level ofresistance to disasters. Emergency response is most 4 AWIC Bulletin, Summer 2000, Volume 11, No. 1-2 effective when it has been planned and regularly exercised. By is to rank animal care and research units based on the likely fre- adhering to the principles outlined in this article and by making quency and duration ofdisruptions. a diligent effort to constantly improve disaster preparedness plans and response procedures, liability can also be reduced. Identifying and preventing catastrophic Following are specific activities that research facility planners losses can use to start developing an EOP for their institution. Establish an advisory committee Identifying and preventing catastrophic losses should be the initial focus of a vulnerability assessment. Areas in which catastrophic losses can occur are best identified by inspecting To ensure that disaster preparedness plans and the response each facility with emergency response and preparedness person- to disasters are compliant with the many policies and regulations nel, such as fire marshals, safety officers, and architects. During that govern animal care in research and laboratory facilities, a these inspections, the vulnerability to catastrophic losses to hu- planning advisory committee should be established. This com- mans, animals, and research data can be ascertained by consid- mittee should consist ofrepresentatives of all groups responsible ering worst-case scenarios, such as fires, floods, or prolonged for creating and enforcing these policies and regulations, as well power outages, and trying to recognize threats to human (staff as animal care providers. This committee should meet regularly and responders) and animal safety during evacuations. to review the planning progress and to ensure that disaster pre- Typical examples offacilities that are vulnerable to cata- paredness plans comply with the regulations and polices govern- strophic loss include buildings that do not meet current stan- ing the care ofanimals in research. dards ofconstruction to withstand likely regional geophysical The advisory committee should also act as a resource in a hazards, such as earthquakes, floods, and hurricanes; rooms disaster to ensure that decisions made to protect animals and re- without fire suppression systems; and animal care facilities that search activities comply with existing regulations. To ensure can only be accessed via an elevator. Ifthese or similar vulnera- that the members ofthe committee can be a resource in a disas- bilities to catastrophic loss are identified, then appropriate miti- ter, a method for contacting all committee members should be gation measures can be taken, for example, to retrofit or rebuild established and tested early in the planning process. the facilities, or to relocate animals. Preparedness activities that In a large-scale disaster, members ofthe planning commit- protect against catastrophic loss ofdata include repeated re- tee may assemble at an emergency operations center (EOC). minders to researchers to make multiple copies oftheir records Representatives ofthe institution's legal, executive, and admin- istrative branches are located at the EOC. The role ofthe EOC is and to store data at multiple sites. to be an informational resource on institutional regulations and Identifying and prioritizing other causes of policy and resource procurement for the Incident Manager. As disruption part ofplanning, it should be determined who has access to the EOC EOC in a disaster, because an usually has restricted access. Alternatively, a virtual EOC can be established, in which The two most common causes ofdisruption to animal care the Incident Manager knows where he or she can obtain appro- and research are a failure of infrastructure (primary and backup priate information to make decisions in a disaster that comply utilities, access and egress routes) and a shortage ofpersonnel with regulations. A carefully selected planning committee and (flu epidemics, inability to access work). Hazards and other reliable methods to contact them may suffice as a virtual EOC. causes ofdisruptions to animal care can be identified from a number ofsources Data on the frequency and duration ofdis- . Conduct a vulnerability assessment ruptions are available from local emergency management agencies and institutions. These usually have records that summarize major geophysical events that have disrupted the community, Efficient use oftime and resources is as important to emer- such as dates and duration of weather advisories and conditions gency operations planning as it is to any other aspect ofresearch that led to traffic curfews, or business, school, and university and business. Therefore, it is important to systematically priori- A closures. Institutional sources ofinformation include animal tize planning efforts. vulnerability assessment is the process care logs and surveys ofthe animal care staff. by which to prioritize disaster preparedness efforts. A vulnerability assessment is a four-step process. The first Identifying resources that minimize disrup- step is to identify hazards and other causes ofdisruptions to animal care. The second is to identify resources that minimize dis- tions ruptions. The third step is to quantify potential losses. The fourth step uses the information gathered in the previous steps to The goal of this part ofthe vulnerability assessment is to create a risk index. rank animal care and research units according to their depend- In many research facilities with a large variety ofanimals ence on backup utilities. Examples ofresources that minimize and facilities, it may be necessary to initially consider the vul- losses include generators that provide backup power, heating nerability ofeach type ofanimal husbandry system separately. and cooling; alternative housing facilities; feed reserves; and current data backup. Identifying hazards and other causes of Resources that minimize disruptions to animal care can be disruption to animal care and research identified during inspections of individual husbandry facilities. The effectiveness ofbackup resources should be viewed in the context ofthe types ofanimals and their husbandry needs. For This process consists of identifying and preventing poten- example, species that live in controlled environments depend on tial causes ofcatastrophic loss, as well as other likely causes of disruption. The goal of this part ofthe vulnerability assessment a reliable source ofheating and cooling. Lack ofbackup utilities AWIC Newsletter, Summer 2000, Volume 11, No. 1-2 5 to sustain their environment makes these animals and related re- The risk index search vulnerable to disasters. By comparison, range cattle may not depend on a controlled environment, but in severe weather The risk index, then, is the product ofthe rank ofdisrup- rely on staffbeing able to access their paddocks to provide feed tions, the rank ofdependence on backup utilities, and the cost of and water. In this case the inability to access pastures would put potential losses for all animal care and research units. The these animals and related research projects at risk. higher the risk index, the higher should be the priority for disaster preparedness efforts in that area. The risk index is also a use- An estimation of the costs of disasters ful tool for convincing reluctant administrators to support disaster planning activities. An estimation ofthe costs ofdisasters involves compiling an inventory ofanimals, supplies, and research investments. The Attend emergency management classes cost ofdisruptions and loss ofdata can be subjective, because it includes losses associated with death and injury ofresearch ani- Emergency planners at research animal facilities can gain a mals, some ofwhich may be priceless ifthey promise to lead to professional insight into emergency preparedness via their patents, progress in research, and future funding and, last but not State's emergency management agency. Most States offer free least, have potential to contribute to fulfilling the perceived pri- training in emergency management and welcome new profes- orities ofthe institution. Additional losses are associated with sions to participate. It is recommended that laboratory animal fa- economic impacts ofreduced trade with service and supplies cility stafftake the "Animals in Disasters" Independent Study vendors in the community. courses by FEMA (14) and attend professional courses on emergency operations planning, incident command, exercise design, and critical incident stress debriefing (13). Table 1. Examples of a Concept ofOperations for an Emergency Operations Plan for animal research facilities.1 Primary Emergency Problem Need Task Resources2 Support Function Back-up generator; Heating or Prevent animals building maintenance Public works and engi- Restore heating or cooling fail- from overheating crew; procedure for con- neering (refrigeration, cooling ure or cooling tacting appropriate per- heating) sonnel Snowplows; local police Personnel Provide personnel (to escort staffto work); Prevent respira- Animal health and snowed in at with access to job description defining tory disease medical home building animal care staffas "essential" Mechanical key backup; Access to tissue Electronic key ac- institutional security; cultures is essen- cess to building Public works and engi- Power failure procedure for ensuring tia] within 2 hours needs to be over- neering (electric power) time window ridden that security is main- tained. Rumors of Press conference; public Hold press con- horrific acts liason officer; media Control rumors ference and clar- Public information against ani- tour offacilities prior to ify facts mals incidents Evacuation ofani- Provide response Up-to-date signs through Exposure of mals in a trial us- personnel with building; environmental Hazard specific (chemi- response per- ing carcinogenic appropriate infor- management/OSHA cal, radiation) sonnel or radioactive mation to protect staff; evacuation proce- compounds safety dure for animals in trials Inventory offeed on Feed and wa- campus; animal care Identify alterna- terhas be- Continue nutri- staff, laboratory animal tive feed and wa- Research continuity come con- tional study veterinarian; principal ter supplies taminated investigator; research protocol 1 This part ofthe EOP is a living document that should be continuously reviewed. Note that the problems, needs, tasks, and resources are more or less independent ofthe cause ofthe disaster. 2 Examples given are for physical, personnel, policy resources 6 AWIC Bulletin, Summer 2000, Volume 11, No. 1-2 Figure 2. Emergency functions represented in an Emergency Operations Plan for animal research facilities. Basic Plan Concept of Operations Operations Emergency Services Consequence Management Coordination and Control Health and Medical ResearchContinuity Human Animal Communications PublicWorksand Engineering DamageAssessment ResourceManagement LawEnforcement Evacuation Security Information and Planning Fire Animal Housing Search and Rescue PublicInformation Transportation Hazard Specific Chemical Radiation Construct potential disaster scenarios Plan activation (assumptions) An effective method to start preparing a formal EOP is to A formal plan should include a statement that clarifies un- develop disaster scenarios using the "problem, needs, task, and der which conditions the plan is activated. Such a statement resource" approach. This concept is based on the principles of may include a phrase such as "any cause that threatens the im- all-hazards planning, in which it is assumed that the loss of plementation ofthe legal mandates and any potential or actual function is more or less independent of the cause ofthe disaster disruption to animal care and continuity ofresearch, teaching, (the incident). The definitions ofthese terms are: and service." Examples ofthese threats and causes ofdisruption include geophysical and technological hazards and security • Problem: Functions that become disrupted in a disaster. breaches. • Needs: Actions that will remedy the problem. • Task: Specific intervention to meet the needs. Concept of Operations • Resource: Persons, materials, and policies required to complete the task. Once some potential disaster scenarios have been developed and a vulnerability assessment has been completed, a Con- Table 1 gives some examples ofhow the "problem, needs, cept ofOperations can be written. The Concept ofOperations task, and resource" concept can be used to develop an EOP. section is the core ofthe plan. Here, causes offunction disrup- Emergency Operations Plans can also be formatted using the tions (problems) and their remediation (needs) are defined and "problem, needs, task, and resource" approach. tasks needed to correct any problems and resources to complete these tasks are identified. Primary and support Emergency Sup- Develop an Emergency Operations Plan port Functions (ESFs) are grouped into operations, emergency services, and consequence management (Figure 2, Table 1). An EOP should include at least the following sections: Writing the Concepts of Operations requires time and 1. Reference to the plan's legal basis thought, and should be a collaborative effort. However, a Con- 2. Assumptions under which the plan is activated cept ofOperations section does not have to be long, and it 3. Concept ofoperations should be simple to read and understand. Initial attention should Compiling appendices, in which resources (physical per- be given to functions that have been identified to be common sonnel and policies), SOPs, and reference materials are summa- and realistic causes ofdisruption. rized is another constructive activity to increase awareness of Plan review the resources available for disaster response. State emergency management agencies offer professional courses that will help laboratory animal managers become profi- The EOP should be reviewed at least annually in a meeting cient at developing an EOP for their institution. involving all possible stakeholders. Regular review of an EOP is intended to review procedures and availability ofresources Legal references and can serve as a starting point for higher level exercises. A successful review ofan EOP will identify areas that can be im- The first section of a formal EOP should contain references proved upon and, by correcting these areas, will increase the to the legal basis for having a plan. Legal references should be threshold ofresistance to disasters. approved and signed by appropriate representatives. AWIC Bulletin, Summer 2000, Volume 11, No. 1-2 7 Conclusions Animal Management in Disasters ILAR and FEMA have similar interests in mitigating the This book for emergency management personnel and peo- impact ofdisasters on the research community. Many ofthe ple in the animal care community is written by Sebastian Heath, concepts used by emergency managers are transferable to VetMB, MPVM, who is perhaps the foremost authority on ani- emergency preparedness programs in laboratory animal facilities, and can be used when developing an EOP and for train- mal disaster management. In a crisp, clear, easy-to-read manner he presents information on animal management in natural and ing. Progressive disaster preparedness activities that institu- man-made disasters, such as hurricanes, tornadoes, heat and tions can engage in are: establish a disaster planning commit- drought, wildfires, earthquakes, floods, winter storms, building tee, identify a legal basis for an EOP, define the assumptions fires, vehicular accidents, nuclear contamination, and hazardous under which a plan would be activated, conduct a vulnerabil- spills. ity assessment, define and organize Emergency Support Func- tsieoanrsc,hacnodmtmruainni.tTyhefroer cisomapcrreithiecnalsinveeedguiindtehleinbeisoloongihcoalwrteo- The book is divided into 8 sections covering: develop and implement effective EOPs. • Myths and realities in disasters involving animals; References • Overview ofhazards and precautions to be taken to minimize damage; A 1. Gerritty, L.W. (1998). Expecting one disaster and getting • —close look at businesses in the animal care indus- another. Lab Animal 27(1):29. try costsofdisasters, preparedness and integration inthe community emergency management plans; 2. Suzik H.A. (1997). Flood reliefa multifaceted effort. Journal ofthe American Veterinary Medical Association. • Structure and development of emergency management 3. Silverstein, S.C. The light at the end ofthe Washington plans or systems; Heights blackout, http://www.faseb.org/opar/newslet- • Principles ofdisaster relief; ter/10X99/guest.html • Management ofanimals in disasters; 4. Ballard, M.D, S.M. Smith, H.F. Johnson, and F. Range • International perspectives; and (1999). Crisis Management Planning. Disaster Recovery • Appendices providing sample State and county disaster Journal Winter: 49-51. plans, summaries of State liability laws, important re- AVMA 5. (2000) Activists vandalize avian health laboratory. sources and contacts, and a proposed veterinary incident Journal ofthe American Veterinary Medical Association. management system. 6. Leonpacher, R.J. (1991). Disaster planning in animal facili- AALAS ties. Bulletin 30(6):20-21. Numerous graphics and photos accompany the text and 7. Vogelweid, CM. (1998). Developing emergency manage- clearly illustrate the described procedures, equipment, and prin- ment plans for university laboratory animal programs and ciples. The cost is $39.95. To order, call Mosby's at toll-free: facilities. Contemporary Topics in Laboratory Animal Sci- (800) 426-4545 (U.S. only), or e-mail: customer.sup- ence 37(5):52-56. [email protected]. (ISBN: 155664411) 8. Comerio, M. and S.K. Nathe (1999). A disaster resistant university - The first ofits kind. Natural Hazards Observer 24(1):1-3. Web Useful Sites for Disasters 9. American Red Cross (ARC), Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) (1992). Your family disaster plan. FEMA American Red Cross Disaster Services L-191, ARC 4466. Federal Emergency Management Agency: http://www.redcross.org/disaster/safety/guide.html Washington, DC. 10. Witt, J.L. (1998). Project Impact - Building a Disaster Resis- Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Virtual tant Community. Federal Emergency Management Agency: Library and Electronic Reading Room Washington, DC. http://www.fema.gov/library/lib07.htm 11. Federal Emergency Management Agency. Comprehensive Program Policy Overview (July 1995). Federal Emergency Florida Animal Disaster Planning Advisory Committee Management Agency: Washington, DC. http://www.fl-adpac.org/ 12. Heath, S.E. (1999). Animal Management in Disasters. Mosby: Humane Society ofthe United States St. Louis. Missouri, pp. 139-146. http://www.hsus.org/disaster/index.html 13. International Critical Incident Stress Foundation. http://www.icisf.org/ University ofColorado Health Sciences Center Animal 14. Federal Emergency Management Agency. Care & Use Program http://www.fema.gov/emi/crslist.htm http://www.uchsc.edu/sm/animal,index.html University ofFlorida Emergencies http://nersp.nerdc.ufl.edu/~iacuc/emergency.htm University ofFlorida Institute ofFood and Agricultural Sciences and the Florida Cooperative Extension Service http //disaster ifas ufl edu/ : . . . 8 AWIC Bulletin, Summer 2000, Volume 11, No. 1-2