Response Activity Types
What is a Response?
ZDR3 is known for its on-scene response to zoological disasters. Throughout the year, much of our staff’s time is devoted to preparing for such events. And when our member facilities are facing potential threats, most of what we do is behind the scenes, visible only to those with whom we are communicating before, during, and after an event.
In addition to keeping in touch with facilities facing a disaster, ZDR3 staff identifies which teams and resources might be most appropriate for a situation. Then our staff and member response teams go on standby while we wait to learn if a facility needs us to respond.
Here’s more about how ZDR3 operates:
ZDR3 Response Activity Types
Remote support refers to guidance ZDR3 provides by phone or email. Examples include referrals to appropriate agencies and/or documents, procedural guidance, and arranging animal relocations between a facility that needs to move animals to safety and facilities willing to provide assistance with transportation and placement. Remote response offers immediate assistance that may or may not require additional onsite support.
Remote Support
In some cases, ZDR3 personnel or teams position themselves near a potential response site in advance of an adverse weather situation. Pre-positioning at a facility allows responders to provide immediate support. For example, at a facility that is prone to flooding, to assist with animal relocations and/or evacuations, and to help manage pumps and other flood control devices.
For major weather events that could impact a region, ZDR3 personnel or teams strategically pre-position within, or just outside of, the potentially impacted region to allow for more rapid response.
Pre-Positioning
Significant events like hurricanes, floods, and fires can require the assistance of response teams from multiple ZDR3 Network member facilities. With large-scale incidents, it is important to cycle teams in and out because there is a limit to how long a facility can have their personnel working at another site, and to how long any team can work a site.
Deployment objectives are: human and animal safety, animal welfare, and critical facility operations (for instance, ensuring the animal care staff has a safe route to manage the animals and that there is power for critical infrastructure).
Some incidents only require help from a ZDR3 On-Scene Liaison, or one experienced response crew that can quickly deploy from a neighboring facility. In many cases, we can offer assistance remotely by guiding facilities to the right resources and/or providing documents that step them through specific tasks.
Responders who render assistance to their colleagues gain more than the satisfaction of a job well done and building bonds among professionals. They also acquire valuable experience they can use at their home facility.