During last year’s fires in Lompoc, team members from the Santa Barbara Humane Society responded to the area and were in charge of evacuating some four-legged inhabitants.
While first responders worked to evacuate people from their homes and surrounding farms, the Humane Society worked to round up alpacas and miniature pigs and relocate them to safety.
The society’s technical rescue team was behind the relocations and is made up of about 10 members with highly specialized training, according to the Humane Society’s Rebecca Tivang.
The team trains each week to stay prepared.
Tivang recalled a recent training session that had members of the team rappelling at the Douglas Family Preserve to practice cliff rescues.
That team may have a busy winter ahead as predictions for big rains in February and March loom.
Tivang sat down with Noozhawk to talk about steps that pet owners can take to keep their animals safe during the storm season.
The organization has about 30 volunteers that work with dogs and about 20 that work with cats.
The organization’s 5-acre property at 5399 Overpass Rd. even has corrals for horses and larger animals.
Last week, a horse went down in its corral and the agency’s rescue team was called to right the animal, she said.
The team’s emergency pager number can be reached at 805.683.5008, and Tivang said that people can use the number if they have an animal-related emergency, such as a dog or horse stuck in a ravine.
“For medical emergencies the owner should call their vet, of course, but if it is a situational emergency we are always on call,” she said.
The rescue team cross-trains with other organizations including the Santa Barbara County Search and Rescue and the County Fire Department.
The agency falls under the jurisdiction of the Santa Barbara County Office of Emergency Management, and is activated in a county emergency.
If a pet owner has a personal emergency, such as a flooded house, and needs to board animals with with the humane society, they can call ahead to the shelter office at 805.964.4777.
Owners should also be sure to keep their pet up to date on vaccines, so that they can be boarded in case of emergency, she said.
The organization will stage at areas like the Earl Warren Showgrounds, which they during the Gibraltar Fire most recently.
Tivang encouraged pet owners to stay calm and remember their pets as they pack their emergency kits.
Adding any food or medication that their pets might need in an emergency ahead of time is key in case a quick evacuation is needed, she said.
— Noozhawk staff writer Lara Cooper can be reached at lcooper@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
