Welcome to our new Co-Coordinator
The VRC would like to welcome Dr. Mandy Tolson as a co-coordinator. Dr. Tolson is a lifelong resident of North Carolina. She graduated from NCSU with a BS in Zoology in 1998, a MS in Nutrition in 2001, and her DVM in 2005. Dr. Tolson worked in private practice in eastern NC until joining the Emergency Programs Division in February of 2008.
Newsletter Volume1, Issue 1
Spring Training 2009
Sheltering training conducted in partnership with North Carolina Emergency Management. VRC members will have the opportunity to meet and train with individuals that they may need to work with during a disaster. These will be regional trainings to decrease travel expenses for volunteers. Check back soon for dates and locations!
Fall Training 2008
The VRC will be leading the Public Practice track at the North Carolina Veterinary Conference in Durham on November 7th. This training will include an orientation to the VRC for new members, biosecurity and personal protective equipment, and numerous other topics from a variety of speakers. For more information please go to http://www.ncveterinaryconference.com/.
Fall Training 2007
The VRC completed 3 trainings in the fall of 2007. Members trained in Raleigh on August 27th with a Companion Animal Equipment Trailer.The purpose of this training was to allow members to understand the basics of setting up a temporary small animal shelter. In addition there was a speaker from the American Red Cross teaching on how to prepare yourself and your family for a disaster. On September 22nd members trained in Jacksonville, NC on wildlife behavior and rescue. This was a hands-on-training that included numerous wildlife species. Select members had the opportunity to participate in a water rescue of a large constrictor snake. In November a new membership orientation was conducted at the 2007 North Carolina Veterinary Conference.
Spring Training 2006
The VRC completed their spring training on March 11th at the College of Veterinary Medicine in Raleigh, NC. At this training veterinarians and technicians became certified in Hazardous Materials Awareness and got a brief overview of what the North Carolina Emergency Operations Plan was. In the afternoon there was a presentation on Avian Influenza that gave up-to-date information on the current situation involving Highly Pathogenic H5N1 and the North Carolina Pandemic Influenza Plan. Attendees also became familiar with a new and emerging disease, Canine Influenza. VRC members are encouraged to complete all required trainings to be credentialed to respond to animal events both in our state and in the nation.
New members are always being accepted. The semi-annual trainings offer up-to-date information for the veterinary community and are designed to be useful for both current members and new.
Self Deployment following Hurricane Katrina
Due to the problems of self deployment following Hurricane Katrina any VRC members wishing to deploy into affected areas will need to show an ID badge (with picture) indicating they have the proper credetials to be there. The requirements are:
- ICS 100
- ICS 200
- ICS 700
- Biosecurity Training
- State EOP Overview
- Understanding of Emergency Management and Emergency Support Functions
- HazMat Awareness
- Signing a Code of Conduct prior to deployment
The NCVRC is in the process of creating a template for these badges and collecting member information. If you have any of these trainings, and have not already sent in this information please notify us.