Animal Services Holds Emergency Evacuation Drill
05/02/10 - 03:29 PM
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When disaster strikes, community evacuations are in place for human safety but often times animals are over looked.

Mesa County Animal Services held its first emergency drill on Sunday.

“There has been a potential Haz-Mat leak,” said Mesa County Animal Services Officer, Beth Smith.

“A railroad accident that results in the shelter needing to be evacuated,” explained Char Quinn of the WeCARe Coalition.

92 Cats and Dogs must be loaded into kennels and cars and transported to a safe location.

“You don’t get an opportunity to practice a move of a shelter very often,” said Mesa County Animal Services Director, Penny McCarty.

That place happens to be the Mesa County Animal Services new building.

“See how we can make sure that the animal leaves one location and arrives where it’s supposed to,” explained McCarty.

After Hurricane Katrina, the state and federal government recognized the need for animals to be included in emergency management.

“The Pet Act was passed which now provides shelters for those animals that accompany people through an evacuation,” said Deborah Colburn of the Colorado Veterinary Medical Foundation.

The Western Slope WeCARe Coalition along with six surrounding counties took part in the disaster training.

“Disasters aren’t just fires, we don’t know when we’re going to have a hording case or a puppy mill,” said Quinn.

Mesa County’s new facility will also house more animals and help expand their adoption program. “Over the last couple of years we’ve been transporting animals all over the state, when they’re adoptable to avoid euthanasia,” said McCarty.

If disaster strikes or they need to take-in an influx of animals, they’ll now be better prepared.

“Flexibility that we have with the different rooms, if we run into a crisis we’ll be able to manage it,” explained McCarty.

The New Animal Services facility is now open to the public.  It’s located at 971A Coffman Road in Orchard Mesa.

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