What is a County Animal Response Team or CART?
Many State and local Animal Response Teams were formed in response to a Federal Law passed in 2006 (more information below).
PayneCART is a non-profit organization that works in conjunction with local and state emergency management and animal welfare organizations and other partners to provide animal response services to Payne and surrounding counties when needed. PCART volunteers are certified by OK Medical Reserve Corps and participate in training through OKMRC, ASPCA, and other organizations.
PCART and its volunteers do NOT self-deploy. This means that we work within the NIMS-ICS (National Incident Management System-Incident Command System) to deploy when requested by other agencies. PCART volunteers are trained to work within this system. Although individuals who self-deploy to an incident may seem to be helping the situation by rescuing animals, it has been proven that in the long-run well meaning self-deploying volunteers create chaos, become injured, and often do more harm than good during disaster response. Both large and small animals will behave differently during an emergency incident, so even experienced animal owners are at increased risk. Working together with trained emergency responders, animal response volunteers can do their jobs safely without getting in the way of other rescue efforts.
PCART volunteers are credential through the Oklahoma Medical Reserve Corp (OKMRC) after completing minimal online training and undergoing a brief background check, much like those performed by many employers. If you would like to be able to help where and when you are needed, please join the PCART and receive the required (and free) training. Additional training will be available in the future.
Much of our training comes in the form of webinars and face-to-face training created and presented by experts with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Oklahoma Medical Reserve Corp (OKMRC), and the ASPCA. Professional animal experience is not required to volunteer for PCART. We have many jobs that require other skills that members have developed through their jobs and/or hobbies.
Some of our members have also gone through Technical Large Animal Emergency Rescue training (TLAER).
OKMRC: http://www.okmrc.org/disaster/
ASPCA: https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/general-pet-care/disaster-preparedness
FEMA: https://training.fema.gov/emi.aspx
TLAER: http://tlaer.org/
OSU-FST: https://www.osufst.org/
PayneCART is a non-profit organization that works in conjunction with local and state emergency management and animal welfare organizations and other partners to provide animal response services to Payne and surrounding counties when needed. PCART volunteers are certified by OK Medical Reserve Corps and participate in training through OKMRC, ASPCA, and other organizations.
PCART and its volunteers do NOT self-deploy. This means that we work within the NIMS-ICS (National Incident Management System-Incident Command System) to deploy when requested by other agencies. PCART volunteers are trained to work within this system. Although individuals who self-deploy to an incident may seem to be helping the situation by rescuing animals, it has been proven that in the long-run well meaning self-deploying volunteers create chaos, become injured, and often do more harm than good during disaster response. Both large and small animals will behave differently during an emergency incident, so even experienced animal owners are at increased risk. Working together with trained emergency responders, animal response volunteers can do their jobs safely without getting in the way of other rescue efforts.
PCART volunteers are credential through the Oklahoma Medical Reserve Corp (OKMRC) after completing minimal online training and undergoing a brief background check, much like those performed by many employers. If you would like to be able to help where and when you are needed, please join the PCART and receive the required (and free) training. Additional training will be available in the future.
Much of our training comes in the form of webinars and face-to-face training created and presented by experts with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Oklahoma Medical Reserve Corp (OKMRC), and the ASPCA. Professional animal experience is not required to volunteer for PCART. We have many jobs that require other skills that members have developed through their jobs and/or hobbies.
Some of our members have also gone through Technical Large Animal Emergency Rescue training (TLAER).
OKMRC: http://www.okmrc.org/disaster/
ASPCA: https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/general-pet-care/disaster-preparedness
FEMA: https://training.fema.gov/emi.aspx
TLAER: http://tlaer.org/
OSU-FST: https://www.osufst.org/
Are there lots of Animal Response Teams?
The ASPCA completed a survey in 2016 - the NCARE Survey - that provided a snapshot of areas throughout the country that were prepared (or preparing) to be able to mobilize on behalf of animals in case of emergency or disaster. The report can be found at: www.aspcapro.org/about-ncare-survey
Why are there so many Animal Response Teams these days?
See our "History and Legal Aspects of Animal Response" page for more information.