Targeted issue - Few resources exist to facilitate exercises that test local disaster response to animal issues. Development of LADDER: Local Approach to Discussion-Based Disaster Exercises and Readiness to facilitate exercising local emergency operations plans (EOPs) will amplify the ability of communities to respond to animal issues during a disaster. Small and large animal needs should be addressed during disaster planning. The Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards (PETS) Act of 2006 amends the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to ensure local emergency preparedness operational plans address the needs of individuals with household pets and service animals (PETS Act, 2006). Pet emergency sheltering is a critical component in local emergency planning, given that 36.5% of households own dogs and 30.4% own cats (AVMA, 2012). Planning for large animal response is also critical. Louisiana Veterinary Medical Association State Animal Response Team coordinated large animal response during Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. LADDER can provide local responders a comprehensive understanding of their existing animal response capabilities. Current problem/situation - Emergency managers are often unfamiliar with animal response needs, and the role animals play in local critical infrastructure. As a result, animal and agricultural issues are often not prioritized in Multi-Year Training and Exercise Programs (USDA APHIS & UK, 2017). Exercises play a vital role in national preparedness by enabling whole community stakeholders to test and validate plans and capabilities and identify capability gaps and improvement areas (DHS, 2013). Using animal issues as the foundation for the exercise, LADDER will facilitate local emergency managers’ ability to meet the full spectrum of local preparedness needs. Rural communities often face challenges accessing preparedness resources. Common barriers include: · costs associated with training and workplace obligations (Simpkins, 2015); · lack of high-speed internet access (FCC, 2016); and · many emergency management positions are not full-time (Lindell, Prater & Perry, 2006). The development of LADDER helps rural emergency managers overcome the time, cost, and technology challenges associated with planning and conducting exercises.

Multi-disciplinary exercise tools for use by local emergency managers and Extension educators to challenge existing disaster response capabilities involving animals within their communities have been developed and undergone significant revision and improvement after six soft launches.  The materials are final revisions are being made, and the hard launch of LADDER will occur in the next few months. At this time LADDER will be made publicly available on the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Food and Environment (CAFE) website and hyperlinked from the EDEN website.