If your property is under a mandatory or advisory evacuation order, and you need to have your horses evacuated call Santa Cruz County Animal Services: 454-7303 #1. If they are not available call 911 to activate our unit.
Fact Sheet
March 2010
During the Summit, Martin and Trabing fires in 2008, our Equine Evacuation
Unit evacuated over 500 horses and many other animals and livestock.
Only about 20 horses had to be evacuated by our organization during the
Lockheed fire in 2009, because our community was much better prepared
and had made plans for their animals in case of a disaster.
241—Registered OES Trained Disaster Workers with horse trailers and trucks available for emergency use when activated by the County Office of Emergency Services
35— Amateur Radio Evac Members (Hams)
9—Trailer Teams
All Disaster Workers have received Office of Emergency Services Training regarding SEMS-Standardized Emergency Management System and ICS-Incident Command System. Evac members have attended workshops on loading unwilling horses, trailer safety and maintenance and had opportunity to have a free trailer inspection by a local trailer repair expert. Additional trainings have been provided in the past that covered emergency first aid for horses and tips on what to do if the vet can’t get there.
Trailer Team Leaders meet periodically to plan strategies. They keep in regular touch with their team members.
We have been activated for one flooding situation and four fires, during our largest activation we successfully evacuated over 240 horses at the Summit Fire in May 2008.
The OES Director, Paul Horvat, 458-7109 (212-3677), will authorize call outs for any size emergency in which we are required. If you can not reach him call 911. Clearance must be made through his office. Trailer team members can chose NOT to be involved with every emergency.
Please click here for more information as to: WHO WE ARE AND HOW WE OPERATE
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