Pulse - November 2024 - 40

FROM THE SCVMA OFFICE
JENNIFER HAWKINS, DVM, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
JENNIFER HA
HAWKINS, DVM,
CUTIVE DIRE
JHAWKINS@SCVMA.ORG
@
Feeling Thankful for a
Caring Veterinary Community
t was 2017 and I was the director of OC Animal Care. The day was a county holiday that my
daughter's school didn't recognize, and I had the day off with no other obligations but to
myself. Like anyone who has a free space in their calendar, I chose to spend the day wisely.
Fire, the Line Fire, and the Airport Fire. Oh, and in case one might
forget they live in Southern California, Mother Nature tossed in a
few earthquakes during this time, as well.
Ultimately, I didn't have to evacuate. Others weren't so lucky.
It was 10 a.m. and I was walking toward the Costco entrance
when my cell phone rang. It was the director of OC Parks and her
voice sounded tense. There was a fire coming over the hill behind
Irvine Regional Park and help was needed to move the animals
from the OC Zoo, as well as the horses from Peacock Hill. Apparently,
there had been many mixed messages during the chaos and
confusion stage of this disaster event and when officers from OC
Animal Care responded to requests for help, they were being told
to stand down by emergency personnel. The parks director decided
to bypass red tape and contact me directly. After taking a moment
to mourn the loss of my opportunity to purchase bulk food staples,
I shifted my focus to what came to be known as the Canyon 2 Fire.
The date was October 9, 2017.
Reports of flames and smoke were called in as early as 8:30 a.m.
But there was no notification of Parks employees of the approaching
wildfire. The fire was in Anaheim Hills and did not initially trigger
a county-wide response. The county's Emergency Operation Center
was not yet activated. And Anaheim's emergency personnel had no
knowledge of the zoo and stables just on the other side of the hill in
Orange. OC Parks staff saw the flames just before 10 a.m. and took
immediate action. And thank goodness they did. With the help of
animal control, LART (Large Animal Rescue Team) volunteers, and
Dr. Scott Weldy, all the zoo animals and horses were safely evacuated
to other stables and another local zoo.
At the time, it was called the largest fire in Orange County since
the Freeway Fire nine years earlier. Since then, we've become accustomed
to fires across the state throughout the year. Most recently,
in Orange County, I watched as the Airport Fire rapidly spread
from 800 acres to over 23,000 acres overnight. My Alert OC and
WatchDuty apps were alerting me constantly regarding new evacuation
areas which grew alarmingly close to my home. When driving
on the toll roads, I could see plumes from three fires: the Bridge
40
Some Riverside residents even lost their homes. As with every
such event, I took the opportunity to assess my family's disaster
preparation. Was I prepared? Not really. We'd packed " go bags " in
the past but they were outdated for sure. It's hard to have a go bag
for a growing child whose needs are ever changing. I knew that it
was likely I wouldn't be able to think clearly if an evacuation order
was issued for my zone. So, I made a list of the essentials I would
need to take with me in case my family had to leave quickly. I was
surprised to realize things that I probably would have forgotten.
I knew I'd remember to take the cats. But would I remember to
bring their food? Upon coming home from work, my husband
reported, " I filled my gas tank on the way home. " Though we hadn't
talked much to each other about it, he was clearly planning also.
September was Disaster Preparedness Month. So why am I
writing about this in November? Well, for one, disasters occur
every month of the year. But also, I wanted to share something that
I am thankful for-as giving thanks is what we do in November.
Though news articles don't often report about it, veterinary hospitals,
animal shelters, and horse stables open their doors for animals
in need of temporary housing during disaster events. Many of you
offer free or discounted boarding to animals of people fleeing the
disaster zone. Some of you help train LART volunteers. Some of
you sedate zoo animals and help safely load them out of harm's way.
Some of you foster shelter animals to make room for animals needing
temporary housing. And some of our industry partners deliver
disaster relief in the form of pet food and supplies.
I'm truly thankful for a community of veterinary professionals
who deliver care, housing, transport, and comfort during these notinfrequent
disaster events. It can be confusing to know what to do
in times of disaster. But our veterinary community always seems
to find a way to help out pets and their people. Thank you for all
that you do!
I
Sidenote:
For LA County, be sure to sign up for Ready LA County Alerts here:
https://ready.lacounty.gov/alerts/
For Orange County, sign up for Alert OC here:
https://member.everbridge.net/453003085613900/login
For the Watch Duty app, go to watchduty.org or find the apps on your
mobile device.
Also, follow your emergency responders on social media or search under
relevant hashtags (ex. #airportfire) for updates.
NOVEMBER 2024
PULSE

https://ready.lacounty.gov/alerts/ https://member.everbridge.net/453003085613900/login http://www.watchduty.org

Pulse - November 2024

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