Abstract
This chapter focuses on emergency response following an initial detection of an invasive plant pest or foreign animal disease (FAD) as well as the regulatory authority utilized to initiate a response. Many emergency responses will be associated with crops and livestock on farms and ranches while others may involve nurseries, forests, wildlife, and exotic animals in various urban and rural locations. The incident command system framework is typically utilized to organize response efforts. Standard response preparedness and mobilization will be discussed with a consideration of the multitude of internal and external influences that can impact the strategy and tactics used during an outbreak. Sources of emergency funding and the critical need to manage public perception and information are also explained.
TopAuthorities For Response
The authority to initiate and conduct emergency disease response activities can be complicated as federal, state, tribal and local jurisdictions may overlap. All levels and types of government may influence response decisions because these entities often have regulatory and legal responsibilities requiring them to be involved in the decision to initiate a response and to support and manage tactical response actions. In the U.S., the Code of Laws of the United States of America (USC) and the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) are codified authorities representing different stages of the legislative process. The USC provides the general and permanent statutes of the United States, which are passed by Congress and signed by the President. Executive branch agencies then interpret the USC, developing detailed regulations in the CFR. The CFR is developed through a public rulemaking process (United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, 2016b).
Key Terms in this Chapter
Stakeholder: An individual, group, or organization affected by an emergency or other situation with a vested interest in the incident outcome but not directly involved in the incident response.
Joint Information Center (JIC): A facility established as the central point of contact for news media and interested parties to coordinate emergency incident communications activities at the scene of an incident. Public information officials from all participating federal, state, tribal and local agencies co-locate and coordinate communications at a joint information center.
One Health: The One Health Initiative ( https://onehealthinitiative.com/ ) is a movement to forge co-equal, all-inclusive collaborations between physicians, osteopathic physicians, veterinarians, dentists, nurses and other scientific-health and environmentally related disciplines, including the American Medical Association, American Veterinary Medical Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, American Nurses Association, American Association of Public Health Physicians, the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the U.S. National Environmental Health Association (NEHA).
Zoonotic Diseases (Also Known as Zoonoses): Diseases caused by germs that spread between animals and people. Zoonotic diseases may be caused by viruses, bacterial, parasites and fungi.
Cooperator: A federal, tribal, state, or local agency that participates with another agency(s) in planning and conducting fire or emergency management projects and activities.
Demobilization: Release of resources from an incident in strict accordance with a detailed plan approved by the incident commander.
Control Area: For animal diseases, the area where movement controls are implemented around the index premise. The control area may include an infected zone and a surrounding buffer zone.
Trace-Forwards: Trace-forwards investigate forward to identify everywhere that infection or contaminated plants or animals may have been shipped. Trace-forwards are required in many federal or state quarantines (regulations). May also be used synonymously with trace-outs.
Animal: Any member of the animal kingdom except a human.
Trace-Backs: Backwards tracing means tracing back to the source of the product, to find the origin of infection or contamination. Trace-backs are required in many federal or state quarantines (regulations). May also be used synonymously with trace-ins.
Operational Period: The period of time scheduled for execution of a given set of tactical actions as specified in the Incident Action Plan. Operational periods can be of various lengths, although not usually over 24-hours.
Citizen Science: Scientific research conducted, in whole or in part, by nonprofessional scientists.
Staging Area: Locations set up at an incident where resources can be placed while awaiting a tactical assignment on a three (3) minute available basis.
Emerging Animal Disease: Any terrestrial animal, aquatic animal, or zoonotic disease not yet known or characterized, or any known or characterized terrestrial animal, aquatic animal disease in the United States or its territories that changes or mutates in pathogenicity, communicability, or zoonotic potential to become a threat to terrestrial animals, aquatic animals, or humans.
Multiagency Coordination (MAC): The APHIS MAC Group offers guidance on the most efficient way to allocate resources during an animal health event. Specific responsibilities vary from disease to disease, but the general functions of the APHIS MAC Group include incident prioritization, resource allocation and acquisition, and identification and resolution of issues common to all parties.
Foreign Animal Disease (FAD): A terrestrial or aquatic animal disease or pest, not known to exist in the United States or its territories. (A more complete definition is available in APHIS FAD Framework: Response Strategies [FAD PReP Manual 2-0] https://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/emergency_management/downloads/documents_manuals/fadprep_manual_2.pdf )
Accredited Veterinarian: A veterinarian licensed in the state of origin and approved by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), to perform certain functions of federal and cooperative state-federal programs in accordance with the provision of Title 9 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) §160 through §162.
Incident Management Team: The Incident Commander and appropriate Command and General Staff personnel assigned to an incident (Source: NWCG Glossary of Wildland Fire, PMS 205).
Agency Administrator: The official responsible for the management of a geographic unit or functional area. The managing officer of an agency, division thereof, or jurisdiction having statutory responsibility for incident mitigation and management (Source: NWCG Glossary of Wildland Fire, PMS 205).
Division: The ICS organization level between the Branch and the Task Force/Strike Team. Divisions are used to divide an incident into geographical areas of operation. Divisions are established when the number of resources exceed the span-of-control of the Operations Section Chief.
Vaccination Zone: Areas where vaccines are administered as part of an emergency response to an animal disease. The vaccination zone can be set up for containment (Containment Vaccination Zone, CVZ) or protection (Protection Vaccination Zone, PVZ).
Commodity Credit Corporation: The Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) finances invasive species and natural disaster emergency response, as well as farm commodity, trade and conservation programs. The CCC is a wholly-owned government corporation with the authority to incur up to US$30 billion in outstanding debt to the U.S. Treasury.
Values-at-Risk: The elements of a community or natural area considered valuable by an individual or community that could be negatively impacted by an emergency situation or the mitigating operations. These values can vary by community and can include diverse characteristics such as homes, specific structures, water supply, power grids, natural and cultural resources, community infrastructure, and other economic, environmental, and social values.
Complexity Analysis: An analysis of current and expected incident conditions performed at the onset and periodically during an emergency in order to identify the appropriate incident management organization necessary to meet incident objectives.
National Incident Management System (NIMS): The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) oversees the National Incident Management System (NIMS) which defines operational systems that guide how personnel work together during incidents for all levels of government, nongovernmental organizations, and the private sector.
Unified Incident Command: A unified incident command (UIC) is an emergency response structure that brings together the incident commanders of the major organizations involved in the incident in order to coordinate an effective response, while at the same time allowing each to carry out their own jurisdictional, legal, and functional responsibilities.
Endemic Disease: A disease considered to be constantly present and/or the usual prevalence of a disease or infectious agent in a population within a geographic area.
Index Premise: Site of the first confirmed positive case for an animal disease.
Incident Command System (ICS): A standardized on-scene emergency management concept specifically designed to allow its user(s) to adopt an integrated organizational structure equal to the complexity and demands of single or multiple incidents, without being hindered by jurisdictional boundaries.
Span-of-Control: The supervisory ratio of from three-to-seven individuals, with five-to-one being established as optimum.
Incident Coordination Group (ICG): In USDA APHIS, an ICG is responsible for supporting an Incident Command and Area Command in acquiring resources, formulating policy options, and assisting in development and implementation of response and recovery strategies for a FAD outbreak.