LOCATION SPECIFIC
ANIMAL HOUSING
EMERGENCY PLAN
«Building/Location Name»
«Address»
Building Number: «Number»
Updated on
«Date»
NEVER ENDANGER YOUR PERSONAL SAFETY
Building evacuation is mandatory whenever a fire alarm sounds.
Every building occupant is responsible for knowing these procedures.
[Building/Location Name Here]
[Original & Revision Dates]
TABLE OF CONTENTS
I.
PURPOSE, SCOPE, GOALS
II.
RESPONSIBLE PERSONNEL
III.
EMERGENCY PLAN ACTIVATION CRITERIA
IV.
ACTION PLANS
V.
MATERIALS and RESOURCES
VI.
TRAINING
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[Building/Location Name Here]
I.
[Original & Revision Dates]
PURPOSE, SCOPE, GOALS
SCOPE: The purpose of this document is to provide an overall site specific plan of action for
responding to emergencies that may impact the animals housed or used at this location. The
maintenance of animal health and welfare is a critical research service at risk from the
anticipated consequences of a disaster.
GOAL: Provide a plan for humane handling, treatment, transportation, housing and care of
the animals during a disaster which ensures employee safety, health and welfare; animal
safety, health and welfare; and continuity of care.
II.
RESPONSIBLE PERSONNEL
Essential Personnel for Animal Care:
There must be a means for rapid communication in case of an emergency. Identify essential
personnel who will be responsible for animal care and situation evaluations. List name, phone
and/or cell phone, and email. NOTE: On the Twin Cities Campus, call 911 for all
emergencies.
Indicate with an *asterisk the Primary Site Specific contact
Indicate with two **asterisks, the Secondary/back up contact.
Indicate with a “V”, the emergency veterinary care contact.
Name
Phone:
Primary & Secondary
Email:
Primary & Secondary
THE ABOVE EMERGENCY CONTACT INFORMATION (or this entire emergency plan)
MUST BE PROMINENTLY POSTED IN THE ANIMAL HOUSING and/or USE AREA(S).
SUGGESTION: The above table could be pasted into the cover page for the location specific
animal housing emergency plan and posted.
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[Building/Location Name Here]
III.
[Original & Revision Dates]
EMERGENCY PLAN ACTIVATION CRITERIA
You will either be notified via the University Animal Emergency Plan notification system or, if
the emergency originates at your location, you are expected to notify the appropriate personnel
(911 on the Twin Cities campus) of the details of the emergency. Then notify animal care
personnel using the chart above in regard to action plans.
Most Likely Emergencies:
Facilities: sustained power outage or loss of water or steam supply, sustained ventilation
failure, fires, flooding from plumbing system, blizzard/tornado causing damage to structures or
preventing staff from reporting to work
Other: animal rights incursion/civil disturbance
In the event of a loss of power, water leak or flood, or other building emergency, call 911 and:
[insert names/phone numbers for appropriate Facilities Management personnel]
If in the Twin Cities, call the Building Systems and Automation Center (BSAC) at 612-624-2900
to notify them of the emergency
IV.
ACTION PLANS
In the box below, outline specific tasks required to be carried out in response to the identified
emergencies or disasters including, but not limited to, animal evacuation instructions or
shelter-in-place instructions and provisions for providing backup sources of food and water as
well as sanitation, ventilation, bedding, veterinary care, etc.
[SAMPLE, customize to your site]
Call 911
Ensure Personnel Safety
Assess probable duration of emergency
Assess animal welfare needs – urgent and future
Notify essential animal care personnel
Initiate assessment of supply storage needs
Unlock doors to facilitate staff and emergency personnel access?
Fill all food containers.
Fill all receptacles with water
Fill plastic lined garbage cans, carboys, etc. with water for later emergency use.
If power failure open doors to animal rooms to aid in ventilation.
If longer duration emergency activate, evacuation and/or euthanasia plans
Describe specific animal evacuation plans in terms of where, how, who
Goal: All animals are checked daily for health and appropriate food and water levels.
Cages/runs are cleaned on a schedule that promotes a healthy environment. Supplies are
adequate to achieve this goal for 1-2 weeks duration.
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[Building/Location Name Here]
[Original & Revision Dates]
For Agricultural Sites: In the event that weather conditions or natural disasters make feeding
temporarily impossible, every attempt should be made to provide animals with a continuous
supply of water. Feed should be provided within 24 h to very young animals that are not
nursing their dams.
V.
MATERIALS and RESOURCES
Specify emergency supplies, stockpiled feed, bedding, medicine, euthanasia agents.
–
Store a supply of food, bedding, water (or water substitute like hydrogels) and PPE
(personal protective equipment) at all times.
Ensure adequate euthanasia supplies for all animals on census
Obtain and store the following supplies: flashlights/head lamps, batteries, first-aid kit
For locations that may require animal care staff to remain on site overnight, obtain and
store air mattress/cots, food rations for personnel, head lamps, drinking water.
Ensure essential personnel have necessary access, keys to supply storage, etc.
Create/maintain census information of animals, rooms/pens, investigator contacts, and
protocol numbers.
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VI.
TRAINING
–
–
–
–
–
–
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Provide and maintain documentation of participation in, and completion of, training of all
current staff, all new staff within 30 days of hire, all staff on changes within 30 days of
revision
Animal care and veterinary staff must be instructed that responding to emergencies is a
condition of employment and that they will be held accountable should they fail to care
properly for the animals.
Read, learn and know the plan
Review contact information for emergency responders and practice same
Develop back-up methods for contacting emergency responders
Know response equipment materials location and use
The plan must be updated and exercised by conducting evacuation drills at least
annually
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University of Minnesota
Animal Emergency Plan Training Record
It is the responsibility of the research facility to ensure that all personnel involved in animal
care, treatment, and use, or who may be involved during an ongoing emergency situation, are
trained on the site specific Animal Emergency Plan. Documentation of participation and
completion of training for all current staff, all new staff within 30 days of hire, and all staff on
any changes made within 30 days of revision must be provided and maintained. Training
records should be made available upon request by IACUC, USDA, AAALAC, or other
Inspectors.
This form may be modified for site specific use.
[Building/Location Name Here]
Species: Check all that apply  Cow  Goat  Horse  Pig  Poultry  Sheep
 Cat  Dog  Frog  Fish  Mouse  Rat
 Other, Specify:______________________________________________________________
Name
Training Content
e.g. Communication triage, animal care
plans, stored supplies, evacuation
criteria, euthanasia criteria, etc.
Date
Completed
Date
Completed
Date
Completed
EMERGENCY WATER SUPPLY IDEAS
For rodents:
Hydrogel (ClearH2O) - http://clearh2o.com/research-products/hydrogel/hydrogel-2.html
Napa Nectar - http://elab.lenderking.com/napa_nectar/napa-info.htm
When the gelled water product is close to its 18month expiration, it can be used as enrichment.
Keep a rotating stock of 5-gal water cooler jugs (filtered water) on hand
A bottle filler with reservoir tank, that allows you to dump jugs in and use filler to fill water
bottles; easier and more efficient than doing it by hand.
Keep filtered water stored in 55 gallon drums (on dollies).
The water can be transferred to carboys for rodent racks with a hand or battery pump or
siphoned for cat, guinea pig and bird bowls or nhp bottles.
Fill up 35-40 gallon plastic "trash cans" on dollies or casters with tap water and store in the
coolest accessible location possible (walk in cooler is ideal). Pump or dip to fill bottles.
Make arrangements for emergency water brought in by local milk tankers.
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ANIMAL PROGRAM EMERGENCY ACTION PLAN TRIAGE
EMERGENCY
NOTIFICATION
RECEIVED
CAN YOU CONDUCT OPERATIONS
FROM CURRENT LOCATION?
YES
NO
ENSURE PERSONNEL SAFETY
MOVE ANIMALS TO
ALTERNATE LOCATION
ADDITIONAL
RESOURCES / HELP
NEEDED?
INITIATE CALLING TREE
CALL 911 as needed for
NEW ISSUES
EVALUATE SITUATION
YES
DURATION LIKELY TO BE
GREATER THAN 72 HOURS?
NO
NOTIFY RESPONSIBLE
PERSONNEL
AND INVESTIGATORS
CONTINUOUSLY RE-EVALUATE
SITUATION UNTIL RESOLVED
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