AUSTRALIAN VETERINARY ASSOCIATION SUBMISSION TO THE ROYAL COMMISSION INTO THE VICTORIAN BUSHFIRES

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1 AUSTRALIAN VETERINARY ASSOCIATION SUBMISSION TO THE ROYAL COMMISSION INTO THE VICTORIAN BUSHFIRES EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The unprecedented bushfire event on Saturday 7 February 2009 clearly highlighted the inadequacies of the planning and preparation arrangements for managing the animals affected by this disaster. Veterinary practices in and around the fire affected areas responded immediately to meet the needs of affected animals and displaced people who had animals with them that required veterinary attention. In the face of concerns from Australian Veterinary Association Ltd (AVA) members and the general public about the lack of coordination of the veterinary response for animals affected by the fires, particularly pets, horses and wildlife, the AVA established the Veterinary Emergency Taskforce (AVA VET) to assist in the coordination of the veterinary response. The taskforce activities are outlined in this submission. The AVA remains concerned that the planning by government for management of the impact of a disaster event such as bushfires on animals is inadequate. The AVA believes the Victorian Government must identify a lead agency to develop a comprehensive disaster management plan for all animals affected by bushfires and other disasters in the future. This plan must be developed in consultation with other agencies and organizations with a role in preparing for and responding to such disasters. Importantly disaster management planning and preparedness comes at a cost. It is essential that the State government recognize this and provide the necessary resources and funding to enable it to happen. In this submission the AVA makes a series of recommendations to the Royal Commission that if implemented by the State Government will address these matters and will provide the assurances sought by the veterinary profession and the community that the needs of animals affected by bushfire and other disasters will be adequately managed. The AVA commends these recommendations to the Royal Commission. INTRODUCTION Without doubt the bushfire events of Saturday 7 February 2009 were unprecedented in terms of the fire risk and the manner in which the fires that occurred on that day ravaged the various areas of Victoria that were affected. The Australian Veterinary Association Ltd (AVA) is the National representative body for the veterinary profession in Australia. While saddened and concerned about the tragic loss of human life as a consequence of the fires on 7 February 2009 the focus of the veterinary profession was immediately turned to the management of the health and welfare of the animals affected by the fires. In relation to these fires the loss of wildlife is believed to be unprecedented with the vast majority of wild animals in the path of the major fires on Saturday 7 February 2009 perishing in the blaze. In simple terms these animals were unable to escape the intensity and speed of the fires. On the other hand because of the large areas affected and the ongoing fire events in

2 Australian Veterinary Association Submission to the Royal Page 2 the weeks following the initial devastating blaze many wild animals were burned and injured and required veterinary attention or euthanasia. The extent of veterinary attention required for pets and horses that had escaped the fires was also unprecedented. In relation to pets this was to be expected given the extent of property loss and the many thousands of people that had escaped the fires and were left homeless. Fortunately most of these people escaped with their pets. However many pets were burned and injured or perished in the fires. The situation with horses was also to be expected as there were many horses in the fire areas particularly the Kilmore and Murrindindi fires. On the other hand the losses of farmed livestock in these fires was not unprecedented with many of the fires in previous years that have impacted on agricultural land, particularly in the Western District of Victoria resulting in tens of thousands of sheep and cattle perishing in the fires or requiring euthanasia after surviving the fires. Within this submission the AVA will focus on those aspects of the Terms of Reference for this Royal Commission that relate to what is required in terms of the health and welfare needs of animals affected by bushfires and more particularly the needs of those animals requiring veterinary attention. While the AVA and many AVA Members have views on other aspects of the Terms of Reference we have chosen not to include them here as there are many other organizations and individuals that are more appropriately placed to make submissions covering those aspects. Additionally in making this submission the AVA is very much focused on having plans and systems in place to effectively coordinate and manage a future disaster event if and when that arises and is not in any way pointing to other organizations mentioned from a perspective of blame for the events of 7 February 2009 or the response to them. BACKGROUND INFORMATION About the Australian Veterinary Association Ltd (AVA) The Australian Veterinary Association Ltd (AVA) is the National representative body for the veterinary profession in Australia. Membership exceeds 55% of registered veterinarians in Australia. The AVA is a single corporate entity with a Division in each State and Territory with branches at the regional level. Special interest areas of veterinarians are catered for through Special Interest Groups within the Association. There are many of these Special Interest Groups with coverage of veterinary interests in livestock, horses, pets and wildlife with an interest in the events of Saturday 7 February 2009 and how we might respond more effectively to similar events in the future. The AVA has a single Board of 9 Directors and each Division and Special Interest Group has an Executive Committee to oversee and engage in activities at the Divisional or Group Level. At the National level the AVA engages with the Federal Government and works with the Divisions to engage with State Governments on issues relating to matters that have an Australia wide perspective. On issues that are State or Territory based and do not have a wider Australian impact the Divisions take those matters up with the relevant State Governments or agencies.

3 Australian Veterinary Association Submission to the Royal Page 3 Health and Welfare Needs of Animals Affected by Bushfires The health and welfare needs for animals affected by bushfires, or any disaster for that matter vary depending on the species of animal. The types of animals with similar needs can be broadly grouped as follows: Domestic Livestock and Horses Pets and Working Dogs Wildlife Each of these groups will be considered separately. Livestock & Horses Livestock and horses are generally confined within paddocks. In some cases horses are stabled and sheep and cattle may be confined in sheds or in feedlots. Similar arrangements to sheep and cattle apply to other livestock. Some livestock such as goats are sometimes tethered. Horses are also often provided with a rug while sheep and lambs may have coats on to keep them warm in severe cold weather conditions. Following a bushfire event livestock and horses in affected areas require the following: Access to sufficient feed and clean water. Location in a confined area, eg a fenced paddock, so they are not able to stray. A veterinary inspection to establish whether: they need to be immediately euthanased on welfare grounds because of the severity of their injuries, they are suitable for salvage for transport to an abattoir or knackery for slaughter because their injuries are such that treatment is not practicable or economically justified, they are expected to make a full recovery from their injuries with treatment and care from the owner and/or a veterinarian, or they are fit and well and do not require any further veterinary treatment. Ongoing veterinary care as required following the initial veterinary assessment. Pets and Working Dogs Pets and working dogs are generally confined on a property by fencing or tethering (eg a chain). Their requirements are: Suitable feed and clean water. Veterinary attention if the pet is burned or injured from the fires or showing any signs of ill health. Euthanasia if necessary on welfare grounds Shelter from inclement weather and where appropriate suitable bedding. Ability to be confined area, eg a fenced yard or run or tethering. Regular attendance by an owner or carer.

4 Australian Veterinary Association Submission to the Royal Page 4 It is generally better for pets to remain with their owners following a disaster event where this is practicable. However where this is not practicable for the owners, transfer to a shelter or boarding facility specifically designed for pets should occur. In cases where long term veterinary care is required it may be appropriate for the animal to remain in a veterinary hospital for ongoing treatment. Pets may be separated from their owners and in such cases apart from the requirements above needing to be met there is a need to attempt to identify and locate the owner and reunite them with their pet. Most pets are now implanted with a microchip which links them to their owner via one of the microchip registers. Wildlife The situation with wildlife is quite complex due to the destruction of habitat and the vast number of species involved. Most of the animals that have survived the fires without injury will generally be able to move into nearby unaffected habitat. Where this is not the case they will need to be rescued and cared for before being returned to the wild at some later stage. This is because provision of feed to wildlife on public land is not permitted primarily due to potential environmental damage this may cause through the introduction of plant species such as weeds that will have a major environmental and ecological effect on the area as it recovers from the fires. Injured wildlife require rescue, veterinary assessment to establish if they need to be euthanased or can be treated and then shelter and care until such time as they can be released. The decision on whether or not to euthanase must be based on whether or not the animal can be successfully rehabilitated to survive in the wild as distinct from whether or not the life of the animal can be saved. In some cases because of the mobility of the animals (eg kangaroos and wallabies) rescue and veterinary assessment can only be achieved through darting the animal with a tranquiliser dart. Specialist treatment and care of wildlife may be required and these animals need to be located in a specialist care unit either at a zoo or at a veterinary hospital set up to provide such care. Disaster Response Responsibilities of Various Agencies. The responsibility of various agencies for responding to natural disasters such as bushfires was not clear to AVA at the time of the fires. AVA has become aware that many animal based organisations involved in responding to the fires were also confused over which agencies were responsible for coordinating the response. At the outset the AVA mistakenly believed the Victorian Department of Primary Industries (DPI) which has the Bureau for Animal Welfare had the primary coordination role for the response for all animals affected. That said AVA is now aware it there was a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in place between the Victorian DPI and RSPCA Victoria for management of animal health and welfare in an emergency or disaster situation. DPI has advised their role is assessment of farmed livestock with RSPCA managing issues relating to horses and pets. We understand responsibility for disaster management in respect of wildlife rests with the Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE). The Victorian DPI has a documented response strategy in place for livestock. AVA was aware of this from previous fire incidents and has assisted through calls for volunteers to help

5 Australian Veterinary Association Submission to the Royal Page 5 assess livestock affected by fires. This assistance was provided for the Black Saturday fires and has been provided for bushfires in previous seasons where sufficient numbers of livestock have been affected to warrant the use of volunteer veterinarians. As previous fires had not impacted on pets and horses in any significant way AVA had not become involved in the responses which were handled at the local veterinary practice level for the relatively small number of pets and horses that may have been affected. Prior to this bushfire event while some AVA members had been active contributors to bushfire responses for wildlife, the AVA as an organisation had not been involved in the responses to previous fires and so had not needed to engage with any coordinating agency for bushfire matters. In relation to farmed livestock that survive the fires the DPI staff (usually veterinarians), and volunteer veterinarians if they are required, assess the affected animals and determine if they require immediate euthanasia, can be salvaged for slaughter or can remain in the care of the farmer with or without treatment. The DPI will also undertake a full assessment of the property affected by the fires and prepare a report on the extent of the damage and the fate of the livestock on the property.. Prior to these fires AVA has had no involvement with DSE or RSPCA Victoria regarding planning for bushfire preparedness and the necessary response for wildlife and pets affected by the fires. AVA EXPERIENCE FOLLOWING THE BLACK SATURDAY BUSHIFRES In the course of the week after the bushfires on 7 and 8 February 2009 it became clear that there were major problems in the coordination of activities needed for managing the health and welfare of affected animals and wildlife. These coordination problems were further exacerbated by communication difficulties and a complete lack of understanding about which agencies or groups were responsible for what. This started on Sunday 8 February 2009 when the AVA s Victorian Division Office received many calls from members and the public seeking to know what was going on, how they could help and who they should contact on a wide variety of animal health and welfare issues emanating from the fires the previous day. Normally the office would not be staffed on a Sunday but coincidently two staff were there on that Sunday as they were preparing for a Conference to be held the following weekend. These calls continued for several days and started easing off a week to 10 days later. In the main the calls could be grouped into four categories these being: 1. Veterinarians and Veterinary Practices seeking to know who was providing the overarching coordination roles for management of the response for animals affected by the fires and where veterinary practices fitted in. In many of these calls it was suggested that AVA should be coordinating the veterinary response for pets and wildlife. Some practices also were asking how they could get access to volunteer veterinarians and veterinary nurses to help out. 2. People who were confused about who they should contact regarding animals affected by the fires and how they could help 3. Veterinary practices Australia wide wanting to donate veterinary supplies (drugs, bandages, etc) and people from the general public wanting to donate animal supplies (bedding, food, collars, leads, etc), and

6 Australian Veterinary Association Submission to the Royal Page 6 4. Veterinarians and Veterinary Nurses seeking to volunteer their time to work in treating animals in the affected areas. The AVA was aware that with the exception of the veterinary practice at Kinglake the veterinary practices in the fire ravaged areas remained intact and were operational. The AVA was also aware that the veterinary practices in the fire affected areas were all actively engaged in treating animals affected by the fires. The vast majority of this work was being done on a pro-bono basis with the practices meeting the cost of staff and veterinary supplies. In relation to livestock AVA was aware that the Victorian Department of Primary Industry (DPI) had activated their plan for managing livestock affected by bushfires and that in doing so had established a disaster control centre (DCC) to coordinate and manage the response for livestock. Based on previous experience AVA was satisfied that this would effectively manage the livestock component of the response and there was no real need for AVA to do any more on that front other than to keep a watching brief on the DPI activities and to support the DPI as needed. At this time AVA was aware that as part of the response DPI was also assessing horses on farms they visited. Through concerns raised by members the AVA became aware that in many instances the decision to euthanase livestock and horses was being made by non-veterinarians employed by the DPI or RSPCA Victoria. In some instances horses were euthanased by non-veterinarians without the owners consent. The AVA considers this as unacceptable unless there are compelling welfare reasons for urgent euthanasia of the animal and a veterinarian is not able to attend and assess the animal. This approach where the decision is made by a veterinarian only unless there are compelling reasons otherwise is applied to wildlife and should also apply to livestock, horses and pets. With respect to wildlife the AVA was also aware that some veterinarians with an interest in wildlife were working in triage activities for wildlife rescue organizations. During the initial week after Black Saturday Wildlife Victoria (WV) had approached some AVA members regarding volunteer veterinary support for triage activities they were engaged in at various places throughout the State. This approach was drawn to our attention by the AVA members approached. It became clear that the public outpouring of support for animals was overwhelming when large quantities of veterinary supplies and supplies of animal bedding, feed, dog and cat collars, horse halters and rugs, leads, etc began arriving in Victoria in trucks often with no predetermined destination. Some veterinary practices received several shipping container loads of goods much of which they didn t require or couldn t use or had inadequate space to store. To address the concerns regarding the lack of coordination on 13 February 2009 a meeting was held between a number of concerned veterinarians, Wildlife Victoria, a veterinary nurse volunteer coordinator and the AVA National and Divisional Presidents to discuss how best to coordinate the overall veterinary response by veterinary practices and more specifically the response for pets, horses and wildlife. At the meeting there was emphasis on how the AVA could best assist with the coordination activities. Other groups involved in the response such as RSPCA Victoria, Lort Smith Animal Hospital and Victorian Animal Aid were not invited to this meeting because it was initiated by the concerned veterinarians and Wildlife Victoria.

7 Australian Veterinary Association Submission to the Royal Page 7 At the meeting it was agreed that with the exception of livestock there was no effective coordination of the veterinary response happening at that time. AVA agreed to consider providing a coordination and communications role. The AVA later agreed to establish the Veterinary Emergency Taskforce to provide the overarching coordination being sought. In the course of discussions with Wildlife Victoria it was agreed that they (WV) would make donated wildlife carer supplies and veterinary supplies available to wildlife shelters irrespective of the individual carer s wildlife organisation s affiliations. In addition they agreed to make suitable feed available for affected wildlife and again that this would be available to all registered wildlife carers and to wildlife shelters irrespective of the wildlife organization the carer or shelter is affiliated with. During the first few weeks after Black Saturday the AVA was unaware that RSPCA Victoria had responsibility for coordinating the response for pets and horses under a Memorandum of Understanding with the Victorian Department of Primary Industry. At that time AVA was of the view that RSPCA Victoria, as an animal welfare organization, would have had a major role in provision of food and shelter for affected animals and was actively working in this area. In respect of the veterinary care aspects AVA was of the view that RSPCA Victoria would have been one of the many providers of veterinary care, several of which are considerably larger than the RSPCA in terms of veterinarians and veterinary nurses available for veterinary care. RSPCA Victoria had not contacted AVA regarding the RSPCA role in responding to this bushfire disaster and AVA only became aware of this RSPCA responsibility for coordination of the response for pets and horses three weeks after Black Saturday following discussions with the Victorian DPI on some horse industry concerns with management of the response to horses affected by the fires. THE VETERINARY EMERGENCY TASKFORCE AVA S RESPONSE TO MEMBER AND COMMUNITY CONCERNS REGARDING THE WELFARE OF ANIMALS FOLLOWING THE BLACK SATURDAY FIRES On 16 February 2009 the AVA established the AVA Veterinary Emergency Taskforce (AVA VET) to improve coordination of the veterinary response. The primary focus of the VET would be to coordinate activities so that the right resources (volunteers & donations of veterinary supplies) end up in the right places at the right time to provide the best outcome for the animals needing veterinary care. Importantly the taskforce would also address the need for support for veterinarians and veterinary practices either directly affected by the fires or affected by their involvement in the response to the fires. This support was seen as vital to assist them to rebuild their lives and businesses. In establishing the Taskforce the AVA was keen not to engage in activities more appropriately undertaken by others. In this aspect the AVA VET would focus on the role of the veterinary profession and not become involved directly in activities such as coordinating supply of animal feeds for farmed livestock, horses and wildlife, day to day rescue of animals, provision of shelter for animals, etc. The limit of AVA VET involvement in these peripheral activities would be to provide technical advice or contact details of some groups to go to when people were seeking advice. AVA VET Structure and Operational Activities

8 Australian Veterinary Association Submission to the Royal Page 8 In terms of the initial response the AVA VET was made up as follows: Dr Norm Blackman Chair Dr Charles Foster Veterinary Practitioner Dr Elaine Ong Veterinary Practitioner Dr Chris Barton Veterinary Practitioner Dr Helen McCracken Zoos Victoria Veterinarian Ms Sandy Fernee Chief Executive, Wildlife Victoria Ms Cathy McAidie Veterinary Nurse Dr Ros Nichol AVA Victorian Division President In the initial stages the AVA VET worked through the areas of veterinary related activities that appeared to require a coordinated response and were appropriate for AVA to deal with. In this context farmed livestock activities were being managed by DPI Victoria in a structured way so the AVA VET did not become involved in this other than to have a watching brief. It was clear that considerable effort was required to improve coordination and communication on horses, pets and wildlife activities and donations of supplies. A structure was established that reflected the areas to be covered, the nature of the activities and who on the AVA VET would have delivery responsibility. The structure is shown diagrammatically below: The Key Areas of Activity of the Taskforce that have been, or are currently being, undertaken in the initial response are: Liaison with Government and other Agencies Volunteer Management Support for Veterinarians & Veterinary Practices including supplies, counselling, etc Wlidlife Triage Management

9 Australian Veterinary Association Submission to the Royal Page 9 Management Donations of, or for, Veterinary Supplies Assembly and Distribution of Triage Kits Wildlife Planning and Management Establishment of the Emergency Trust for Donations of Money Preparation of Fact Sheets and Other Technical Information relating to Animal Treatment and Management Following Bushfires Future activities for the AVA VET are: Working with the Victorian Government and governments in each State and Territory to make sure each jurisdiction has effective disaster management plans for managing the health and welfare needs of livestock, horses, companion animals and wildlife affected by disasters. Making sure AVA is actively engaged in the process for development and testing of these disaster management plans, and Development of a clear and concise disaster response strategy for AVA itself so that coordination and communication issues are able to be implemented immediately a disaster occurs and preferably before a disaster when it becomes likely that a disaster will occur. AVA VET Activities Liaison with Government and other Agencies The Taskforce continues to work with the Victorian Department of Primary Industry and the Victorian Department of Sustainability & Environment on matters relating to the Black Saturday bushfires particularly what can be learned from the events to improve management of disasters that might occur in the future. This is seen as vital for the longer term approach to disaster management and to make sure that the planning for future disasters and the implementation of those plans if and when the disasters occur will ensure an effective response that minimises the suffering of affected animals. Volunteer Management Many veterinarians and veterinary nurses offered their services to assist in Triage Centres and Veterinary Practices responding to the needs of animals affected by the fires. The primary objective of Volunteer management is to align the skills of available volunteers with the needs of Veterinary Practices engaging in extensive pro-bono treatment of animals and Triage centres for companion animals and/or wildlife. The Taskforce identified the need for an effective screening process for volunteers to make sure that the needs of veterinary practices and triage activities could be met. To this end the Taskforce collated information on contact details, skills and experience and availability of volunteers and managed a roster system for allocation of the resources to Practices and Triage Centres. Within a matter of 2-3 weeks there were well over 300 volunteers approximately 50% Veterinarians and 50% Veterinary Nurses on the register. Approximately a third of the volunteers who registered with the AVA were engaged in volunteer work at some stage.

10 Australian Veterinary Association Submission to the Royal Page 10 Support for Veterinarians & Veterinary Practices It was imperative that the Taskforce work with our veterinary practices and individual veterinarians engaged in the response to the fires. It was recognised that there was a need for immediate emergency care as well as long term care required for animals affected. It was also recognised that the long term care may extend over a period of months. Taskforce interaction with practices and veterinarians involved in the response was essential to ascertain their needs and how the Taskforce could help them with those needs. The taskforce was in touch with over 90 veterinary practices in and around the fire-affected areas. Of these some 14 practices had engaged in significant pro-bono work for animals and their owners affected by the fires. Wildlife Triage Management Following the fires Wildlife Victoria established 12 wildlife triage centres in various locations close to areas affected by the fires. The AVA VET coordinated the veterinary resources and veterinary supplies needed to support these centres. This required close liaison and coordination with Wildlife Victoria given their involvement in the wildlife rescue activities. This was a key reason for the inclusion of Wildlife Victoria on the AVA VET. The initial veterinary assessment at the triage centre focuses on the extent of the burns or injuries to establish the likelihood of the animal making a full recovery and having good prospects of survival when returned to the wild. Animals that fail this assessment must be euthanased. If the long term prospects of survival in the wild are good then the animal will receive any necessary treatment and be assigned to a carer or transferred to a specialist facility. Animals will be in and out of the facility within a matter of hours. Triage centres were established and shut down on an as needs basis. Wildlife Planning and Management Animals requiring intensive veterinary care would be transferred to Zoos Victoria or to a specialist wildlife veterinary practice with long term care facilities. Zoos Victoria set aside facilities at Healesville Sanctuary for animals that require ongoing veterinary attention. When ongoing veterinary attention is no longer required the animals are transferred to an approved wildlife carer. Zoos Victoria have provided advice to veterinarians on handling and management of wildlife and this advice has been invaluable for volunteers at triage centres and veterinary practices working with wildlife following the fires on 7 February Management of Donations of Veterinary Supplies Donations of supplies for veterinary care came from far and wide. They often arrived at veterinary practices in a random way with some practices being oversupplied in some areas

11 Australian Veterinary Association Submission to the Royal Page 11 and undersupplied in others. This was clearly a logistics problem for a number of organisations responding to the fires. Soon after its inception the taskforce established a small warehousing operation to accept donations of supplies and to direct them to where they were needed. An excellent working relationship with veterinary supplies distributors existed and this assisted in the provision of urgent supplies where sufficient quantities had not been received as donations. Volunteers assisted with inventory controls and dispatch arrangements. Importantly many veterinary supplies are prescription only medications and may only be used by or under the direct supervision of a veterinarian or provided to an owner or carer for use in under the instructions of the veterinarian that attended to the animal. For this reason all drugs were dispatched to the veterinary practice attending to the animals for use at the practice or provision to the owner or carer. Arrangements were put in place to manage veterinary drugs used in wildlife triage activities. Assembly and Distribution of Triage Kits Initially the AVA VET was assembling and distributing triage kits only for wildlife. With the number of pets and horses affected by the fires a need for triage kits for use with pets and horses was identified. To meet this need the AVA VET commenced assembling and distributing 3 separate triage kits specifically designed to suit animals affected by burns or injuries caused by the fires. One kit was to cover wildlife, one to cover pets and the third to cover horses. These were designed to be suitable for use in Triage centres or in the case of horses by veterinarians travelling to the property where the horse was located. The triage kits were assembled on an as needs basis and then dispatched to where they were needed. Strict controls were in place for prescription only (S4) drugs where they were incorporated in the kit. These included responsibility for the drugs resting with the attending veterinarian and the return of any unused S4 drugs. Emergency Trust for Donations of Money To address the issue of cash donations to support the veterinary response by the AVA a trust know known as the Veterinary Emergency Support Trust was established. Funds donated to the trust now exceed $40,000 and are being used to support veterinary practices continuing to provide pro-bono care for animals affected by the fires. A major component of this support is the provision of veterinary drugs and other supplies used in the care of the animals. Preparation of Fact Sheets and Other Technical Information relating to Animals Affected by the Fires The provision of information on the treatment of animals affected by the fires was an important aspect of the AVA VET activities because many veterinarians and veterinary nurses had never been exposed to the types of injuries and the extent of burns seen in the

12 Australian Veterinary Association Submission to the Royal Page 12 affected animals. Experts in their various fields provided support by preparing fact sheets for distribution to veterinary practices and volunteers. At the request of the Victorian DPI the AVA VET also coordinated the preparation of supplementary documents to DPI Fact sheets so they were more specific to the problems being seen with these particular fires. Communication and Administration Ready access to the Taskforce by Veterinarians, Veterinary Nurses and others was considered to be a vital part of Taskforce communications during the emergency. To achieve this AVA introduced a 1300 number and for contact outside business hours the mobile number of the Taskforce manager was provided on an answering machine for urgent after hours access to the Taskforce. CONSIDERATION OF LESSONS LEARNED FOR DISASTER PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT The need for a structured plan for disaster management where all agencies and organizations are fully informed is paramount. In the case of the health and welfare of animals affected by the fires this did not exist and is essential. From an AVA perspective the single most important lesson learned from this event is the importance of comprehensive and structured planning and preparedness as the key to minimising the impact of the disaster and maximising the effectiveness and efficiency of the response and subsequent recovery. In the context of a disaster plan structure the AVA is aware that many such plans are divided into 4 parts, 1 of which relates to preparedness for a disaster and the other 3 of which relate to phases of management of the disaster itself. The latter 3 are mitigation, response and recovery activities. From an AVA perspective the lessons learned in terms of what needs to be addressed in each of those four elements of the plan are outlined below. Preparedness: The primary element here is to have the comprehensive plan available and understood by all agencies and organizations that will be involved in delivering on their prescribed roles within the plan. Other key aspects of lessons AVA learned in relation to preparedness are: Communication Information packages are needed for people with animals affected by the fires, or other disasters, and these need to be prepared in advance based on anticipated needs. The packages will need to be periodically reviewed and updated. Mechanisms for communication before, during and after the event including blackout situations need to be identified and plans for implementing the communications made.

13 Australian Veterinary Association Submission to the Royal Page 13 The need for a lead agency hotline (eg 1300 number) that is available immediately an event becomes imminent and during the response phase for contact on veterinary response issues. In most cases this will only require someone to be available to direct the person to the appropriate agency or website for the information they need. An agency neutral web-site outlining key information and who to contact on various issues is seen as essential and this needs to be in place with public awareness of it prior to the event. The Emergency Management Australia Website would be appropriate. Capability Details of the location of veterinary practices prepared to participate in responding to disasters and after hours contact for practice principals need to be available in advance of a disaster event so they can be contacted urgently. Details of the practice capability for different animal species should also be available. Volunteer management was a key issue. Contact lists of suitable volunteers based on skills, training and experience need to be in place so that they can be contacted early and available volunteers mobilised quickly. Few veterinarians and veterinary nurses had experience with wildlife so there is a need for them to be able to access to opportunities for additional training on handling and treating wildlife. Management of Veterinary Supplies Purchased or Donated Donated supplies need to be centrally managed with inventory controls and distribution arrangements. This requires advice to all those donating supplies of the arrangements in place. Veterinary supplies must be handled separately so they can be managed in accordance with the legal requirements for veterinary drugs. Donors of veterinary supplies need to know that partly used vials of drugs and creams etc are not suitable as the sterility of them cannot be guaranteed. Capacity to activate the warehousing and distribution arrangements immediately a response is required is essential and details of where to send supplies to needs to be available in advance of the event. Arrangements should be in place with veterinary pharmaceutical suppliers for acquisition of veterinary supplies that will be needed for triage kits and distribution to veterinary practices. Key documentation for triage kits needs to be readily available. Mitigation: Mitigation is the activities that occur in relation to the lead up to a possible event where there is evidence the event is likely to occur. The predominant activity here is to alert people and agencies that are likely to be needed to respond to be ready to do so. Key aspects of lessons AVA learned in relation to mitigation are: Alerts for people with animals likely to be affected by the fires, or other disasters, and these need to go out identifying key things they should do and directing them to information sources. The need for activation of the lead agency 1300 hotline number prior to the response phase.

14 Australian Veterinary Association Submission to the Royal Page 14 The web-site outlining key information and who to contact on various issues should be double checked for accuracy of contact information. Veterinary practices prepared to participate in responding to disasters should be contacted and location and contact details along with details of the practice capability for different animal species should be verified. Volunteers should be contacted to verify their availability so that they can be contacted as soon as they are required and resources mobilised quickly. The need for arrangements to be made for volunteer veterinarians and veterinary nurses to be identifiable at control points that may subsequently be set up to restrict unauthorised or unnecessary access to the affected fire areas by people. Warehousing and logistics arrangements for donations of veterinary supplies need to be verified. Response: This will involve activation of the key areas of the plan. There is a need for a lead agency to decide that a response is required and the nature of the response. This should occur rapidly after a disaster event and should be based on evidence that the disaster event has occurred and information on the likely gravity of the event. Once the decision to activate the response is made by the lead agency that agency should immediately establish a Disaster Control Centre to coordinate the overall response by the participating agencies. Recovery: This will be based on the plan and the needs emanating from the event and the response. In the case of animals this will generally relate to the long term care requirements. In relation to wildlife a further key issue is the timing of the release of the animals back into the wild occurs the time they will spend in long term care pending their release. These are matters on which the Victorian DSE and Wildlife rescue organizations are best placed to provide the Royal Commission with advice. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS The most concerning observation was that there was extremely poor planning, coordination and communication in relation to the response for animals affected by the fires. All agencies and organizations involved, including the AVA but possibly with the exception of the Victorian Department of Primary Industry, were clearly overwhelmed by the magnitude of the event and as a consequence of grossly inadequate planning for disaster management there was a lack of coordination of the response, particularly in relation to pets, horses and wildlife. Ensuring there is adequate planning and preparedness for disaster management is clearly a responsibility of government and in the case of emergency management for bushfires a responsibility of the State Government. This is not to say that non-government agencies should not have a designated role and be responsible and accountable for delivery of the

15 Australian Veterinary Association Submission to the Royal Page 15 activities required of that role, providing of course that resources are available to fulfill the role. The availability of resources is a matter that can and should be dealt with in the preparation of disaster management plans. The responsibility for the overall response for management of animals in disaster emergencies should fall to one agency within a State or Territory Government. In relation to animals the Victorian DPI is well placed in terms of experience and emergency response planning and management on animal health issues. It needs to be so in preparation for the management of exotic disease incursions into Australia. The DPI already has responsibility for coordinating the response for farmed livestock and has considerable experience in doing so. It makes sense therefore that the DPI be the lead agency for coordinating the overall response for animals affected by bushfires or other disasters. Recommendation 1: That the Report of the Royal Commission into Victoria s 2009 Bushfires include a recommendation that the Victorian Department of Primary Industry be designated as the lead agency responsible for coordinating the overall planning and preparedness for a response for all animals affected by any major bushfire disasters and other disaster events in the future. There are many other key agencies and organizations that should have an assigned role in planning for and delivering on activities relating to the preparedness, mitigation, response and recovery elements of disaster management. The AVA has close relationships with veterinary practices statewide and as outlined elsewhere in this submission played a major coordination role for the veterinary response for pets, horses and wildlife. Veterinary volunteers were also called upon to participate in the DPI livestock response. The AVA believes it is important that AVA participate in the in the planning and preparedness activities and be considered for an assigned role within the disaster management plan. Recommendation 2: That the Report of the Royal Commission into Victoria s 2009 Bushfires include a recommendation that the lead agency responsible for coordinating the overall planning and preparedness for a response for all animals affected by any major bushfire disasters and other disaster events in the future identify those other agencies and organizations that have an assigned role in disaster management and that the Australian Veterinary Association Limited be one of those organizations with an assigned role pertaining to veterinary related activities. As outlined elsewhere in this submission in developing an effective disaster management plan there are 4 key elements that provide for an effective disaster management strategy, these being: Preparedness, Mitigation, Response, and Recovery

16 Australian Veterinary Association Submission to the Royal Page 16 A key aspect of the mitigation, response and recovery elements relates to effective coordination and communication. It is well known that this is best achieved through the use of an adequately resourced disaster control centre (DCC). This approach has worked well in Australia for exotic disease management and in the case of bushfires for the Victorian DPI response to managing farmed livestock affected by the fires. Based on the views of AVA members and AVA s understanding of community expectations the AVA is of the view that all decisions on the euthanasia of animals must be made by a veterinarian unless there are compelling reasons otherwise. In this context if DPI stock inspectors or RSPCA Victoria inspectors are engaged in assessing livestock and horses they should be doing so in the company of a veterinarian who would make the final decision on euthanasia of the animal. Recommendation 3: That the Report of the Royal Commission into Victoria s 2009 Bushfires include recommendations that provide for the development of a comprehensive disaster management plan for a response for all animals affected by any major bushfire disasters and other disaster events and that the plan: 1. identifies the activities needed for preparedness, mitigation, response and recovery and includes assigned roles for agencies and organizations involved in the delivery of those activities, 2. includes the establishment of a disaster control centre (DCC) to coordinate the response phase of the plan, and 3. requires that all decisions regarding the euthanasia of animals are made by a registered veterinarian unless there are compelling welfare reasons for euthanasing the animal as a matter of urgency. Preparation for and responding to a disaster event requires extensive planning on the part of the lead agency and other agencies and organizations with a role in preparing for and responding to a disaster event. This planning and preparedness comes at a significant cost in terms of human resources and materials required by the lead agency and other agencies to ensure an adequate level of preparedness. For the veterinary response maintaining a register of suitable volunteer veterinarians and veterinary nurses and additional training of some of these volunteers prepared to work in wildlife triage centres will come at a cost. Zoos Victoria is well positioned to provide training and hands on experience for veterinarians interested in working with wildlife in emergency situations. Zoos Victoria would need adequate additional funding to provide these training opportunities. Other agencies with a role in the response will also incur costs for planning and preparedness for a bushfire or other disaster event. These costs should be born by the State Government. Recommendation 4: That the Report of the Royal Commission into Victoria s 2009 Bushfires include a recommendation that the Victorian government provide any necessary additional ongoing funding to the designated lead agency to ensure

17 Australian Veterinary Association Submission to the Royal Page 17 an adequate level of ongoing preparedness for the overall response for animals affected by a disaster such as bushfires. Recommendation 5: That the Report of the Royal Commission into Victoria s 2009 Bushfires include a recommendation that the Victorian government provide any necessary additional ongoing funding to agencies and organizations that will have an assigned role in preparing for and engaging in the response to a disaster event to cover any reasonable additional costs they incur to ensure an adequate level of ongoing preparedness for their contribution to the overall response for animals affected by a disaster such as bushfires. The community expects accountability for disaster planning. The community concerns and outrage at the apparent lack of coordination and preparedness following the bushfire events of 7 February 2009 highlighted this as did the subsequent government response in establishing this Royal Commission. It is therefore essential that the planning for, and delivery of, the preparedness, mitigation, response and recovery activities associated with managing a disaster has a level of accountability to the community through government. In this context there needs to be mechanisms of review to ensure the lead agency and other agencies and organizations with an assigned role are meeting their obligations. This should be achieved through regular independent audit of disaster planning and preparedness by the lead agency and other agencies and organizations with an assigned role reporting to the State Government. Recommendation 6: That the Report of the Royal Commission into Victoria s 2009 Bushfires include a recommendation that the Victorian government establish regular auditing arrangements for independent reviews of the planning and preparedness for bushfires and other disasters and that the findings be reported to the government and made available for public scrutiny.

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