Central MA Disaster Animal Response Team

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Central Massachusetts Disaster Animal Response Team (CMDART) is an organization that assists the community with emergency preparedness for pets and animals.

We meet the first Tuesday of every month at the First Congregational Church on Boston Rd in Sutton, MA at 7pm. Join us at our next event or click here to learn more about us.

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“Flood victim” Cheryl Noroian, center, with JoAnn Griffin's dog Bobbie, registers at a mock disaster session yesterday at Girls Inc. Taking information at left is Robin Chapman, recording the event is Allan Schwartz, second from the left, and applying a tag to Bobbie at right is triage nurse Dawn Bennett. (Photos / RICH DUGAS)

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Kate Hawkins leads Macguire into a cage for decontamination after the dog was rescued from flood waters during the mock disaster.

Photos from Worcester Telegram & Gazette, Worcester/Wachusett Local News article below

Upcoming Events

• HSUS Emergency Animal Sheltering Training

Date: April 5-6, 2008

Location: Bedford, NH

Click here for details and a complete list of events.

Vendors & Retailers Needed

bulk food is ready! We are looking for food vendors or small retailers who are interested in signing up as a potential source for emergency pet food for CMDART. Please contact Virginia Shugrue if you can help!

Special thanks to the Worcester Animal Rescue League who has been a gracious sponsor and supporter of CMDART activities and disaster response. We hope you will support their programs.

Pet-friendly hotels in the area (PDF)

The MA Animal Coalition License Plate application is now on their website. The license plate helps fund many animal-related programs in the state.

CMDART Members Walked in the 2008 Worcester Saint Patrick's Day Parade

CMDART in the news!

Worcester Telegram & Gazette

Worcester/Wachusett Local News

Monday, March 31, 2008

Pet emergency training held

Responders work through mock rescue

By Sandy Meindersma CORRESPONDENT

WORCESTER— The days of leaving Fido and Fluffy behind when evacuating because of an emergency are gone.

Instead, emergency responders are advising evacuees to take their pets with them whenever they need to leave their home because of an emergency.

To respond to the displaced pets, the Central Massachusetts Disaster Animal Response Team sponsored a two-day training program on emergency animal sheltering training at Girls Inc. over the weekend. The program was offered by the Humane Society of the United States.

Diane Webber, director of disaster preparedness and shelter management for the Humane Society instructed the 68 participants from Massachusetts and Rhode Island, and one from as far as Virginia, on how to set up an emergency shelter, the incident command system used by all emergency responders, legal issues, record keeping and animal handling.

“We’re hoping these people will make emergency plans, and then help their communities and do education,” Mrs. Webber said.

Emergency response plans at the federal, state and local level are all required to have an animal component, following the 2006 Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards Act of 2006. The PETS Act was a response to the situation after Hurricane Katrina when many evacuees refused to leave or delayed their departure because of their pets.

“Sixty-three percent of American households have pets,” Mrs. Webber said. “But only 30 percent of American households have minor children.”

Claudia J. McGuire, Northboro Animal Control Officer and chairman of the town’s Disaster Animal Response Team, said she came to the seminar to see how other places had set up their emergency animal shelters. “Seeing them gives us different ideas,” she said.

“The main focus is to go back and get individual people to have a plan (for their animals),” Ms. McGuire said. “If someone says you need to leave in five minutes, you don’t have time to run around and get everything.”

JoAnn Griffin, president of CMDART, said its mission is to plan, prepare for and respond to emergencies and disasters that involve pets.

“We believe in the local community, because disasters happen locally,” she said. “Our goal is to get people trained (to respond to emergencies involving pets).”

CMDART maintains a list of pet-friendly hotels in order to accommodate those who cannot return home after an emergency such as a fire or flood.

The organization is looking for locations near Interstate 290 where its trailers of equipment may be parked until needed to respond to an emergency.

“We have an agreement with Leominster and Uxbridge, so the north and south counties are covered,” Mrs. Griffin said. “But we still need something near Worcester or Auburn.”

Mrs. Griffin said that taking care of the animals is taking care of the people. “This is helping the people (in an emergency) — it helps with their mental health,” she said.

She also pointed out that caring for animals after a disaster is harder than caring for people. “Humans are resilient and can speak up if they have a need. Animals can’t — they need an advocate.”

Click here for direct link to Telegram & Gazette article

Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) in Worcester in 2008

March 29 and 30, 2008, CMDART Inc. hosted a two day, 15 hour Emergency Animal Sheltering course in Worcester featuring national trainers from the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS.org) The workshop was focused on those directly interested in animal disaster response who live in Central Massachusetts (Worcester Central area). This introductory course (15 hours) familiarized participants with common disaster situations and teach them how to be effective emergency animal relief responders.

CMDART, Inc. is a 501(c)3 non-profit charitable organization. As well as encouraging local volunteerism with the team, other goals include establishment of local animal shelters near the sites of the human emergency shelters outlined in each town by Emergency Management.
"Every town has a responsibility to establish emergency sheltering according to state and federal requirements. Now in order to get certain funding, they also need to plan for pets as well", Griffin said. "Emergency managers need to enlist local animal volunteers to help do a search of appropriate animal facilities near where the human shelters are located. Our website, www.CMDART.org has information about what to look for in an emergency animal facility."

CMDART meets the first Tuesday of each month at the Sutton Congregational Church
Community Room, 7 p.m., Boston Road in Sutton. Regional meetings are being developed in the North County, Leominster area, as well. The public is welcome to attend. There is no meeting in January because of the holiday.

For more information about CMDART go to About Us or contact the non-emergency line for CMDART at 508-476-3677 press #.

CMDART helps to offer short term emergency handling and animal sheltering for large scale incidents. In this region, fires, floods or man-made incidents are more likely than what we see in other areas of the country." said JoAnn Griffin, President of CMDART. " We respond to calls from Emergency personnel if they need additional support for a large-scale incident that involves animals. We are not a general rescue group for day to day animal issues. We do not house or find placement for animals, but do liaison with Animal Control officers and other animal related services to help the pet owner or animal care facility.