SmART, LART and CERT

Are you familiar with any of these groups?  SmART and LART are animal focused rescue groups.  Both are offshoots of the human focused CERT.  Still not ringing a bell?  Then let me give you a quick intro to them.

CERT stands for Community Emergency Response Team and I have been a member for years.  One becomes a member by taking a series of classes on emergency response, incident command and triage with a hands on final exercise.  Hundreds of residents have already successfully taken this course for a variety of reasons.  I took it so that could be a better manager at work in case of an emergency.  Luckily, I only had a few occasions to use my training there, but I have had several opportunities to use my medical skills at home.  The most important time when my nephew was choking at a family meal.  Thanks to my training, I was cool, calm and collect as I handled the situation.  It was after that evening that the rest of the adults in the family decided that they too would become CERTs.  But more about that on a future blog.

LART (Large Animal Response Team) recently become its own entity.  In the past, one had to be a CERT before they could become a LART, but no longer.  Now the only prerequisite is that one be an experienced equestrian.  In the event of an evacuation of horses to San Juan, LART would be activated to help bring the animals in and take care of them until it is safe for them to come home.  Remember the fires in San Diego a few years ago?  After filling all the available stalls in San Diego, owners headed north to the first available stables which were in San Juan.  We had over 700 horses being cared for by a small, dedicated group of volunteers.  Should that happen again, LART would be available to step in and assist.  Experienced equestrian interested in learning more?  On Thursday, July 25 from 6 to 9:30 pm at City Hall in the City Council Chambers, we will be training new LARTs in how to operate an evacuation stable and shelter the horses.  On July 28, there will be hands on training for horse handling and trailer loading.  If you are an experienced equestrian, please consider attending.

SmART stands for Small Animal Response Team.  For those of you who prefer to deal with animals a little smaller than horses, SmART may be for you.  CERT’s main focus during an evacuation is doing the most good for the most people.  However, some humans will not leave their pets during a disaster and some pets will not allow rescuers close enough to owners for use to help them.  In either of these cases, SmART would be called in to assist.  After taking classes on dealing with animals, I have decided that I will take my chances with a pit bull, but I am not handling cats!  J  Thankfully, CERT and SmART have never had to put their training to the test yet during an emergency, but they have shared their skills with the community.  One of the events they assist with is the City of San Juan’s annual low-cost pet vaccinations.

Do you have a pet?  Or, like my late Gracye, is your pet a furry person?  Pet or furry person, it is important for your little one(s) (and your human family) to make sure your pets keep up-to-date on their shots.  However, they cannot take themselves to their doctor … and, if they are anything like Gracye, probably do everything in their power not to go through a vet’s front door!  They do not usually have health insurance either, so they have to rely on you to do the right thing.  This year’s vaccination event is July 31st from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at City Hall.  Besides a variety of vaccinations, administered by the Southern California Veterinary Vaccine Clinic, OC Animal Care Services will be there to provide pet licensing.  Is your pet micro-chipped?  If not, you can get one here as well.

The event is first come, first serve and you must bring CASH for vaccinations and microchips, but you can use checks to pay for licensing.  Pets must be on leashes or in carriers.  There are a few other rules and that information is available on the city’s website by clicking here.

There is a Hebrew proverb that says, “The kind man feeds his beast before sitting down to dinner.”  The kind (wo)man also does the right thing by taking care of their pet’s other needs: making sure they not only have something to eat, but providing a safe place to stay, a kind word, gentle hand and tending to their medical needs.  Thanks to clinics such as this one, you can save a few dollars while doing the right thing.  And, should the need ever arise, a safe place for your horse during an emergency.  I hope you will not only value your pet’s well being enough to participate at the clinic, but that you will also consider taking the training to join LART, SmART and/or CERT.  You can click here for a link to the city’s CERT page to get more information regarding class schedules and other updates.