MVMA QUARTERLY - FALL 2022
Missouri Volunteer Veterinary Corps: Here for the bad times. Are you interested in putting your unique skill set to use in case of a disaster? The Emergency Management and Public Health (EMPH) Committee of the MVMA is actively recruiting veterinarians, registered veterinary technicians, and veterinary students to enroll in the Missouri Volunteer Veterinary Corps, MOVVC, “The Corps”. Currently we have over 300 members. The Mission of The Missouri Voluntary Veterinary Corps is to provide veterinarians and veterinary paraprofessionals as assets in support of government and nongovernment actions in response to the needs of animals and animal owners during disasters. The MOVVC is a project founded in 2002 by the MVMA EMPH. The objectives are: Assist the Missouri Department of Agriculture, State Veterinarian, and the USDA/APHIS Area Veterinarian in Charge for Missouri during response to an animal disease emergency, and assist local/county emergency managers with planning for animal disease and natural disaster emergencies in a role as a Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) unit of the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. Corps enrollees will be required to take one National Incident Management System (NIMS) IS 700 course and IS 100. b., introduction to the Incident Command System. These courses takes about 3-hours each to complete including an examination. No need to wait until you complete these courses to sign up. Signup now and take the courses at your earliest convenience.
TWO Steps to Becoming a Veterinary Volunteer in a Disaster: 1. Sign up with ShowMeResponse.org - www.ShowMeResponse.org MOVVC member information is housed in the Show Me Response (SMR) database. SMR is a statewide, cross discipline emergency response database of volunteers. Create a login and fill out your personal information on their website at www.ShowMeResponse.org. 2. Take FEMA online course To be deployed, all volunteers must be certified to two courses in FEMA incident command structure. Two courses are needed ICS 100.C and ICS 700.B. This is a set of online courses to review the leadership structure and organization in emergencies. These courses are free and can be found online. When an animal disease emergency or natural disasters occurs, the MOVVC could be activated, and enrollees will be notified by phone or e-mail. Enrollees should keep their contact information up to date on their Show-Me Response profile. Activation will be done by the State Veterinarian and/or the AVIC (area veterinarian in charge) or by SEMA. In case of activation, response by CORPS enrollees will be entirely voluntary. Currently the state cannot offer compensation to MOVVC volunteers for time spent during the first 48 hours of response. If the emergency continues for more than 48 hours and/or extends beyond state borders, an APHIS program, the National Animal Health Emergency Response Corps (NAHRC) would likely be activated.
The Corps Missouri Volunteer Veterinary Corps
10
