CT State Animal Response Team

Failure to evacuate is a major reason people resist or refuse to evacuate when requested to do so by authorities. R3ART is capable of deploying a temporary, household pet shelter for the co-located mass care of the household pets of evacuated or displaced citizens. Currently the team includes 45 CREPC credentialed individuals and a trailer-borne equipment cache able to shelter 750 animals anywhere in the Region.

In keeping with the requirements of the Connecticut Department of Emergency Management & Homeland Security, all active team members have completed CERT training, as well as a series of online FEMA Emergency Management Institute courses on the Incident Command System, the National Incident Management System and classroom training in animal behavior and handling skills. Many R3ART members have extensive professional experience as veterinary technicians, animal control officers, animal training and handling experts, as well as in public health and safety disciplines.