CT State Animal Response Team

The Connecticut State Animal Response Team (CTSART) program unites individuals and organizations from both the public and private sectors, and from a broad range of interests, around the common goal of preventing and responding to emergencies involving animals. The participants recognize the critical roles of animals in human society; the regard the public has for animals; and share the common vision of protecting both human and animal health and safety in disasters.

The CTSART program focuses the efforts of everyone involved in the disaster planning and response mission for animals. Implicit in this mission is the recognition that public safety comes first, but that protecting animals helps protect people too.

The CTSART program is organized at the local level as Regional Animal Response Teams, which, within the overall regional planning and response structure in Connecticut, are the operational arms of each Regional Emergency Planning Team (REPT). Each Region has a REPT and it is organized as an all hazards, all disciplines planning and response mechanism, of which animal planning and response is one small part. Animal response is important because all stakeholders in the emergency planning and response community understand that animal health and safety translates to enhanced human health and safety.