TO: Board of Supervisors
FROM: Minh Tran - County Executive Officer
REPORT BY: Angel Hernandez - Emergency Services Officer
SUBJECT: Napa Community Animal Response Team MOU Agreement
RECOMMENDATION
title
County Executive Officer/Director of Emergency Services requests approval of and authorization for the Chair to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Napa Community Animal Response Team (NCART) to provide large animal rescue, sheltering, and care during emergencies.
body
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
In Napa County, a role of Emergency Services is to provide Care and Shelter to protect life and reduce suffering. NCART will continue to aid with all aspects of large animal rescue, sheltering, and care when requested by Napa County Sheriff Department (NSO).
NCART will provide volunteer services when requested and utilized under the specific direction of Napa County Sheriff’s Department. These services include evacuation of animals impacted by fire, flood, hazardous materials incidents, and other disasters; animal seizure due to neglect or other issues, and neighborhood evacuations or evacuations of specific areas that may leave animals unattended or in need of emergency assistance.
FISCAL & STRATEGIC PLAN IMPACT
|
Is there a Fiscal Impact? |
No |
|
Is it currently budgeted? |
No |
|
County Strategic Plan pillar addressed: |
Collaborative and Engaged Community |
|
Additional Information |
The NCART agreement specifies reimbursement for fuel expenses and material costs associated with sheltering efforts only if approved by the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) and with the required paperwork completed and submitted to the Logistic Section Ordering Unit. These expenses would then be submitted to Cal OES or FEMA for reimbursement during declared disasters. |
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINATION: The proposed action is not a project as defined by 14 California Code of Regulations 15378 (State CEQA Guidelines) and therefore CEQA is not applicable.
BACKGROUND AND DISCUSSION
NCART was organized after the October 2015 Valley Fire incident, when the County's Office of Emergency Services (OES) found that the Animal Rescue Plan did not address the large animal component of rescue and evacuations. The purpose of NCART is to provide lifesaving services for animals impacted by an emergency or disaster situation. These services include evacuation of animals impacted by fire, flood, hazardous materials incidents, and other declared disasters; animal seizure due to neglect or other issues, and neighborhood evacuations or evacuations of specific areas that may leave animals unattended or in need of emergency assistance.
At the discretion of the OES and NSO, during a Red Flag Warning NCART is notified and placed on alert to support emergency response activities.
NCART Leadership Teams run several areas of operations including: Equine Shelter, Livestock Shelter, Remote Companion Animal Shelter - under the direction of NCAS, Dispatch / Communications, Field Operations - Evacuations, Shelter in Place, Animal Search and Rescue (ASAR).
NCART is organized as a nonprofit and is funded solely by donations. During the Napa Fire Complex in 2017, NCART rescued over 1000 large animals. In 2020, NCART was deployed for 35 days in response to the Glass Fire and LNU Lightning Complex Fire, recording a total of 6,634 volunteer hours. During the LNU Fire approximately 240 large animals maintained in shelters and another 330 animals either evacuated or sheltered in place. During the Glass Fire approximately 900 animals sheltered in place in the north valley area and an additional 300 animals evacuated or sheltered in local shelters.
In 2018, the Napa County entered into an MOU agreement with NCART. Agreement No. 8572 expired in November 2021, and staff requests approval of and authorization for the Chair to sign a new MOU agreement with NCART to continue providing assistance with large animal rescues, sheltering, and care during emergencies.