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A Question and Answer Forum for the Zoo Professional on Crisis Management
William K. Baker, Director
Abilene Zoo, Abilene, TX
Question
What do you look for in a dangerous animal escape drill?
Comments
By definition it is implied that when you conduct an emergency drill that involves dangerous animals that certain components are in place. There are three essential facets that should be considered in advance of conducting a drill: logistics, planning, and training. While these sound like worn catch phrases, nothing could be farther from the truth. However, that doesn’t negate the power of these words and the concepts that they represent. Proactive and prepared are more than catch phrases; they’re common sense. This is the first step in preparing for a crisis, the proper attitude.
Logistical support implies that there has to be adequate equipment available for the Emergency Response Team (ERT). In other words, first aid kits, SCBA’s (Self Contained Breathing Apparatus), fire extinguishers, tool kits, entry tools, capture nets, animal restraint equipment, emergency oxygen units, radios, flashlights, dart rifles, and firearms. The simple truth is that only two things, your imagination and pocketbook, limit safety equipment. This raises the inevitable question; “do you have an annual budget and how large is it?” A dedicated line item is recommended to track expenses and compensate for inflation, especially in the current economy.
Facility support is absolutely necessary for a safety program to succeed. In short, it is imperative that the senior administration supports a proactive position for emergency preparedness. It is virtually impossible for responders to train without the available time for practice, range time, and emergency drills. However, these components of the safety process cannot be realized without adequate staff to cover animal management duties while other staff members are in training.
Training programs should be tailored to the needs of the institution and the composition of the animal collection. Every institutional collection and facility is inherently different in its “demographic composition”. As a result, what works in one facility may not necessarily work at another. Still, there are some basic tenants, which should be considered. Safety training can be pursued through local, state, national, and private resources such as consultants. Which resources are utilized is dependent on the investment of finances and time.
In my experience, training has to be the most overlooked facet of this whole process. Going to the firearms range once a year or even quarterly is ineffectual. Ideally your firearms and dart personnel should be practicing once a month. A good benchmark for rounds expended is 100 rounds shotgun and 20 rounds rifle at minimum per person. In terms of darts, I would recommend at least 20 darts per person, with 40 being the goal per person, per month.
Once the groundwork has been done, then it’s a matter of deciding what type of drill to undertake. In essence there are two types of drills: Limited Response and Facility Response.
Limited response drills are basically exercises that are geared strictly for emergency responders, Emergency Response Teams (ERT’s), Crisis Management Teams (CMT’s), and Strategic Response Teams (SRT’s).
The purpose of these drills is to hone the skills of the responders. As a general rule it is unnecessary to interrupt facility operations for these training exercises. Much of the training can be facilitated in a classroom environment utilizing scenario- based, role-playing games to hone judgment skills. The firing range can also be a useful environment for quick reaction exercises. It is also recommended that eventually in the process your firearms and dart personnel practice together. This coordinates the actions of both parties, identifies problems, and will acclimate dart personnel to a firearms presence as well as to the report of live fire.
Walk-through exercises can prove to be useful for a team. One of the basic variants on this exercise is to draft a staff member from a specific department to be the “escaped animal”. Think of it as “tag” with only your skill and wits against say a “cat staffer” who will do their best to elude you, while it is necessary for you to locate them and physically tag them. Sounds childish and easy - it’s not. You’re about to track someone who intimately understands cat behavior. By using other departments it’s possible to conduct in-house workshops on behavior. After all, you’re surrounded by animal professionals; use the resources at hand. With a little imagination it’s possible to find options other than running through the facility creating a scene.
Walk-through exercises can also be effectively used as an intermediate step in the process. This would be the next logical step in the progression of training. It allows Visitor Services, Maintenance, and other support personnel the opportunity to learn and practice their roles in the process. In addition, animal staff who are non-involved parties can also practice their role in bringing animals in off-exhibit, and securing their respective areas. Then everyone is in a position to become the eyes and ears of the facility. This is especially important if a dangerous specimen changes location and must be reacquired.
Facility response drills are exactly that, facility-wide drills are held on either an announced or an unannounced basis, and usually on a quarterly or annual basis. A scenario is chosen and can be executed before public hours or even during public hours. Zoo visitors often find it rewarding and reassuring that their local zoo is practicing for these types of crisis. However, the key to true authenticity is to ensure that the date and time is confidential information, thereby insuring that a facility drill is an immersion experience. Observers should grade the performance of all sectors of the facility. Afterwards, the observers should conduct a roundtable discussion to establish ways to increase performance. This allows the senior staff and emergency responders to develop revised policies before a real crisis occurs, not after the fact.
When considering options for different scenarios, these can be simple or...
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