Become a LOCAL Resource...
All disasters happen locally, whether it involves a single owner and animal or wide spread event encompassing multiple farms, communities or counties. All initial response is going to come from you, your neighbors and the local emergency response personnel.
In addition to becoming involved with organizations like WLAER please consider your immediate and local situation. We recommend meeting with your neighbors, local animal professionals, and anyone you can think of to bring into your response group. Your group should work to develop plans that are specific for the individual but generic to cover multiple hazards or emergencies, whether it is for aiding each other in times of an emergency, evacuation planning, or resource sharing (tractors, panels, trailers). After your personal and local plans are organized consider meeting with the local emergency response entities such as the fire department, law enforcement, and veterinarians, to develop a large response plan that can include you as a local resource to aid with animal emergencies.
“Those that Plan have Emergencies, those that don’t have Disasters”
Ways you can volunteer with WLAER
Wisconsin Large Animal Emergency Response, like all volunteer organizations, relies heavily on its people to meet the needs of the organization. There are multiple ways to assist beyond the volunteer field/emergency response.
There is a need for individuals that are passionate about non-response responsibilities that include but are not limited to marketing and social media, fundraising, record keeping, registrar etc…
There is a need for response personnel that can deploy for brief local response that may only last a few hours. In addition, longer term regional or national deployment response is evolving into the WLAER response and mutual aid agreements. Emphasis for response members will be placed on existing first responders, veterinary staff, and individuals with existing advanced training, but WLAER does support driven individuals that are looking for an opportunity to get involved in the organization.
Not all individuals interested in volunteering will likely fit the current needs of the organization, but as WLAER evolves your participation may become critical to the success of Large Animal Rescue in Wisconsin now and into the future.