2017 WASHINGTON STATE ANIMAL RESPONSE TEAM ANNUAL REPORT A Decade of Helping Animals and Their Owners in Emergencies I’m happy to say that 2017 was training they’ve each gone through. not only our 10th anniversary, In addition to the new challenges, but another year of growth and we also faced many callouts on collaboration for us. As I look back things like heat exhaustion, livestock through the year, I see more and needing assistance to stand, dogs in more mention of WASART working ravines, etc. The types of requests effectively with other groups and that we see each and every year, and organizations in our rescues. will continue to respond to. Whether it was with King, Pierce Great news for us too - we were able and Snohomish County Search and to add to our fleet and purchase Rescue Groups, veterinarians, swift a much-needed second truck to water with Summit to Sound, or any tow our trailers. This new truck number of local Fire Departments enables us to respond more quickly and Law Enforcement agencies, to callouts from almost anywhere in A Letter From the President we were able to communicate Western WA. effectively, work together as a team I’m very proud to say too, that several and accomplish great things. We WASART volunteers deployed take great pride not only in our again with the ASPCA after the rescue skills, but also our reputation hurricanes in the Virgin Islands, for working together on a common Texas and Florida. Our reputation goal. There are many instances for having outstanding, well-trained, in the rescue world where having hardworking, knowledgeable experts in different fields is really volunteers is spreading even outside what’s needed. of Washington State. Some of the new challenges we faced As we celebrated our 10th included a helicopter extraction, a anniversary, it was amazing to look horse needing help to cross a swiftly back and see how far WASART has moving river, and a horse with its come! Even though we continue rider trapped underneath. In each to learn, grow and evolve, we still case, WASART volunteers were able always hold true to helping animals to adapt and utilize the extensive and their owners in emergencies. With deep gratitude, Shawndra Michell, President Vision WASART’s vision: • Recognized as a model To be the premier for other animal response animal disaster response organizations organization throughout the Northwest. • Member of the Governor’s Readiness Council • State accreditation/ recognition/appointment Respect Mission statement Professionalism Helping Animals and Their Owners Excellence in reputation and in Emergencies delivery. Credibility Integrity Values We do what we say we can do. Teamwork Above reproach as well as morally Collaborative skills, experience and legally responsible for our and training, and willingness to actions and decisions. Honesty work with each other and other organizations. This allows us to Education expand our capabilities. Respectful collaboration to efficiently achieve Developing and sharing knowledge our goals. Accessibility and technical expertise. Utilizing skills and available resources to inform and train members and the Volunteerism broader community. Ethics Personal commitment to participate; to participate to the level we can. We are committed and we believe in our Higher Purpose. 39 162 57,849 Deployments Members Miles traveled 2017 At a Glance 10,338 $310,554 In-state hours Volunteer value* *At the Washington Volunteer Hourly Rate of $30.04, as provided by www.independentsector.org, the total value of hours committed comes to $545,887. Additional hours were volunteered at national deployments and for administrative and committee duties. WASART members participated in 10 separate ASPCA deployments with over 40 rotations, and one Red Rover deployment in 2017. 2017 Highlights • First rescue involving a helicopter • New (to us) truck to haul trailers and responders • Second Becker tripod/bipod to complete a second set of rescue equipment stationed in Snohomish county for faster responses. Board of Directors Shawndra Michell President [email protected] Larry Fosnick Davis Vice-President [email protected] Minde Sunde Secretary [email protected] Gretchen McCallum, J.D. Treasurer [email protected] Greta Cook Training Director [email protected] Michaela Eaves Public Information Officer [email protected] William (Bill) Daugaard, P.E. Past President [email protected] Jeff Dahl, DVM Advising Specialist [email protected] Balance Assets & Liabilities 2017 2016 Total Assets $227,079 $218,207 Total Liabilities $(992) $0 Net Assets $226,087 $218,207 Finacials Income Fundraising and Income Amount Percent Fundraising and Income Ratio Raise the Hoof Fundraiser $14,844. 16% Training fees $5,846. 6% Deployment $3,659. 4% Restricted $13,765. 15% Unrestricted/general $44,371. 47% Member dues $4,656. 5% Promotions & merchandise $6,279. 7% Total $93,420 100% Expenses Summary of Expenses Amount Percent Program to Admin Ratio Program service expenses $61,611 76% Management & general expenses $13,133 16% Fundraising expenses $6,235 8% Total $80,979 100% Education A major part of what makes In addition to the monthly WASART unique among animal trainings conducted by our welfare organizations is our deep Technical Rescue Team, 10 commitment to training our members participated in a members to respond to animal 5-day, intensive rigging class emergency situations, both wide- with the intention of increasing scale disasters and individual the available Technician level animal emergencies. Whether for responders available for technical setting up and operating emergency deployments. Additionally, many Year in Review Year animal shelters, rescuing animals other types of trainings were held. in jeopardy from natural disasters, This year, Fundamentals training or transporting animals from and Communications workshops danger to safety, we only deploy were offered on two separate our members who are trained and dates. Animal Handling and credentialed for the situations in Assessment, Emergency Animal which they are deployed. We try to Sheltering, Transport, Technical emphasize hands-on training with Animal Rescue and Paw Wrapping live animals whenever possible, were conducted one time each. We and bring the perspective of also conducted two Open House instructors who are experienced sessions. Over 100, including in a wide variety of emergency non-WASART participants, were situations. present at these offerings. Outreach Emergency Response National Deployment Emergency preparedness and Emergency response is the main WASART members are called education are a core part of our type of situation WASART is called upon for a number of national mission. WASART continued for. The main types of rescues we see deployments from the ASPCA. In our commitment to community are dogs over cliffs and horses over 2017 WASART sent 9 of volunteers outreach in 2017; we were embankments or stuck in mud. on 23 rotations to assist the ASPCA represented at Petpalooza in Auburn, It’s not just animals we are saving. on 9 different deployments for a total Poochapalooza in Marysville, the We save humans as well as animals of 5,424 hours including responses Goatalympics in Monroe, Mutt by providing a way to retrieve an to Hurricane Maria and Irma. In Strutt in Everett, Barkfest in animal that is in a location that could addition to the ASPCA, many of Auburn, the BCBS Preparedness kill a well-meaning owner. In fact, our members are responders with Fair in Mountlake Terrace. nearly all the photos in this report other national organizations. These come from emergency responses deployments not only serve the we’ve completed this year, including animals and communities where our first swiftwater rescue. they are located but help to develop our own skills and procedures for local situations that arise. Coordination with Other Agencies In the course of our rescues we have the good fortune to assist, be assisted by and work side-by-side with, some truly amazing individuals and organizations. In some cases our work would not have been possible without their selfless and dedicated assistance. In 2017 we coordinated with members of King County Search and Rescue, Seattle Mountain Rescue, Regional Animal Services of King County, Vashon Island Pet Protectors, volunteers from Seattle Fire Department, King County Explorer Search and Rescue (ESAR), Tacoma Mountain Rescue, various law enforcement agencies and local veterinarians, Summit to Sound Search & Rescue, and the Whatcom County Humane Society. We greatly value the relationships we have built with these fine organizations and look forward to growing these partnerships in the future. 2017 Response Highlights 2017 was a year full of down equines, dogs needing hoists and help, and one memorable horse over a river. Buster we’ve used in the past, we set up the tripod and lift system before rigging On March 25, 2017, we received Buster. Once that was in place, we a call from our answering service pulled the straps for the sling under requesting assistance for a horse Buster so we could use them as cast in a shed. We headed out to handles to pull him on to the Rescue Orting, WA, in Pierce County after Glide. Before we had a chance to getting permission to deploy from secure Buster to the Rescue Glide he the Pierce County officials. attempted to get up, causing him to slide down a bit. We grabbed a wide We found Buster lying in an open strap from our rescue equipment shed, attended by concerned family. van and put a forward assist on him He’d been down for a couple of so we could pull him back onto the hours already and was unable to get glide. up on his own due to a healing break We think the family deserves to his pelvis. a big shout-out here. It was very Joining us on site was Buster’s vet, helpful to have them lending some Dr. Ashley Galen of Tacoma Equine muscle as well as giving Buster a Hospital.