charity in action

In recent years, California has seen a dramatic increase in the frequency and intensity of devastating natural disasters, like the record-setting wildfires that have crisscrossed the state.

Animals, unfortunately, are often the overlooked victims of these events. To help ensure the health and welfare of animals impacted by declared emergencies within the state, the volunteer members of the California Veterinary Medical Reserve Corps (CAVMRC) stand at the ready. The CAVMRC is the largest medical reserve corps in the nation with over 2,700 member veterinarians, registered veterinary technicians, veterinary assistants, and veterinary students ready to respond and provide veterinary emergency medical care.

The CAVMRC provides veterinary professionals with the credentialing necessary to support animal health in emergency response and continuing education opportunities focusing on emergency critical care. Volunteers are the lifeline for sick and injured animals in disasters.

The CAVMRC’s Mobile Command Center Is Ready to Roll

In past disaster responses, when CAVMRC coordinators arrived onsite, resources such as shelter, electricity, sleeping quarters, and WiFi were usually scarce, making for difficult working conditions. A generous grant by the Bernice Barbour Foundation has enabled the CAVMRC to procure and outfit a much needed mobile command center and supply trailer.

The new 40 foot mobile command center is a retrofitted RV that will provide a movable central staging area, complete with a generator, two air purifiers, WiFi, and living quarters for coordinators during protracted deployments, while the trailer will allow for transportation of essential medical supplies. Both the mobile command unit and the trailer are stored in a temperature-controlled storage facility where they are maintained in working condition, ready to deploy at a moment’s notice!