Listen up, animal lovers.
The city needs 60 volunteers to participate in a mock disaster exercise Oct. 1 to “perform tasks such as handling of horses, drivers for transport of animals, runners and clerical assistance,” according to a news release.
The city is organizing a Community Animal Response Team of volunteers to prepare for emergencies – from wildfires to tornados to terrorist attacks – that require the rescue, evacuation and sheltering of horses and other livestock, the city said.
“If there was a fire on the western half of Colorado Springs right up against the forest, we would be dealing with large animals. We would be dealing with trying to relocate households and all of that stuff, so our feeling is that we might as well exercise that before an (actual) event takes place,” city spokesman John Leavitt said in an interview.
“We don’t want to do it when there’s an actual event. We want to have at least a little experience under our belt to know what we’ll be up against,” he said.
The Police Department is holding an orientation session for people interested in participating in CART and the mock disaster exercise at 6 p.m. Aug. 11. The one-hour session will be at the Police Operations Center, 705 S. Nevada Ave.
If you’re interested, call 444-7878 and leave a message with you name and telephone number.
CART volunteers will receive training and will be credentialed. For more additional, contact Officer Lori Torrini at 444-7276 or Torrinlo@ci.colospgs.co.us
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