Emergency Management Plan Individuals with Animals

Wildfire Matters Review Committee. The bill strongly encourages a locally defined or interjurisdictional emergency management plan amended or created on or after July 1, 2024, and requires, when practicable, a locally defined or interjurisdictional emergency management plan amended or created on or after January 1, 2024, to address the needs of an individual with an animal during an emergency by:

• Including provisions for the evacuation, shelter, and transport of an individual with an animal and that animal; and
• Requiring, to the extent practicable, that at least one shelter established during an emergency is designated to accommodate an individual with an animal and that animal.

The bill also strongly encourages a city, county, or city and county to make available to the public information for animal emergency preparedness, including:

• Information for creating an evacuation plan and emergency checklist for individuals with animals consistent with recommendations publicly published by the United States department of agriculture and the federal emergency management agency;
• Local organizations that may provide emergency animal assistance; and
• Local emergency shelters, cooling centers, or warming centers, when active, that can accommodate an individual with an animal.

Lastly, the bill also strongly encourages a city, county, or city and county, on or after January 1, 2025, to implement disability etiquette and service animal training to ensure that emergency response personnel are well prepared to interact with individuals with disabilities and their service animals during emergency situations.

(Note: Italicized words indicate new material added to the original summary; dashes through words indicate deletions from the original summary.)

(Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)