UCART (Ulster County Animal Response Team)

County Animal Response Teams are public and private partnerships for the unified, interagency preparation and response to animal emergencies; they integrate governmental agencies, non-profit organizations, veterinarians, and private volunteers for a cohesive and effective approach in response to animal related disasters, and are based on the principles of the Incident Command System. They increase the capability to respond to animal emergencies on the local, county, state and federal level, have a mission to provide prevention, response and recovery for animal emergencies, and require their members to receive specific training, and sign and abide by a code of conduct.

Volunteers are essential to make these plans viable and assist with prevention, response & recovery for animal emergencies. The Ulster County Animal Response Team (UCART) is an all-volunteer team with members across Ulster County. The UCART is to be deployed at the request of Ulster County Emergency Management. Pre-trained volunteers will assist local emergency management officials, as needed, in all phases of an emergency or disaster that impacts animals. Qualified volunteers** are covered for worker’s comp and liability under Article 26-A of Agriculture and Markets Law.

To learn how you can be a part of this critical community effort, please contact Liz or Nadia at ucart@ulstercorps.org.

Learn more:
https://alert.ny.gov/become-county-animal-response-volunteer
>> Volunteer Sign-up Form

To become qualified, all you need to do is complete four online training courses and sign the Code of Conduct. The training courses are:

• ESART Orientation (PDF)
• ESART Orientation Self-Exam and Certificate (PDF)
• ICS-100: Introduction to the Incident Command System (ICS)
• IS-700: National Incident Management System (NIMS), an Introduction
• IS-5.A: An Introduction to Hazardous Materials