Vision & Mission:
We never know when an emergency or disaster will strike. The Animal Emergency Task force is here to ensure we are an advocate for animals ensuring their well-being during such events.
Our Mission is to help animals in an emergency or disaster situation by preparing for, rescuing, receiving and reuniting animals and owners.
Our Vision is to fill the gap and provide a seamless working relationship between local and provincial governments, emergency responders, veterinarians and rescue groups to ensure animal welfare is addressed and managed in an emergency and or natural disaster. This will create a safe and efficient response and therefore reducing costs, risk, liabilities and anxiety to all involved.
How It Started:
Our founder Sarah Miller was helping along with many others in the 2013 Southern Alberta Floods. Assisting in High River, she was part of the Animal Emergency Response Team that was charged with rescuing and relocating animals from their homes to a designated shelter. It was after this whole experience that she took a invested interest in Animal Emergency and Disaster Response. After assisting another group in the 2017 Ft. McMurray Fires, she dived even further. She currently has training and certifications in ICS, Basic Emergency Management, Animal Response training from both CDART (CAN) and Code3 Associates (US).
There were many lessons learned of what worked and what didn’t. This turned into the purpose of updating an Animal Response Plan for Emergency Social Services Personnel and a standardized plan for Animal Responders. Coming into the technology era, with the help of Dragon Code Technologies Ltd, we were able to create an online software that allows animals to be tracked from Intake to Care at the shelter, to Reunification. The software also allows teams to mission plan and rescue/shelter in place.
AETF wants to be that resource that can help prepare in advance as well as make a response easier. We want all levels and organizations involved to be able to work together.
We want to ensure that all animals get to be reunited with their owners once the event has ended. We have the knowledge and compassion and hope that it will be put to use.