Ready to Take the First Step?
Two Levels of Volunteering
- New Volunteer: You’re passionate about assisting animals and serving your community. You aspire to be a Disaster Animal Responder. SCART can guide you in gaining and achieving your desired skills, knowledge, certifications, and experience. Participating in community outreach events (booth events, speaking engagements, fundraising, administration) with skilled team members is a great place to begin. Please review the different volunteer opportunities.
- Experienced / Disaster Responder: Prior deployment experience or training in tabletop or hands-on exercises required. Animal shelter training through organizations such as the American Humane Association, Humane Society of United States, and ASPCA. Disaster Responders must complete the FEMA course IS-100: Introduction to Incident Command System and IS-700.B: An Introduction to the National Incident Management System.
Become a SCART Volunteer
SCART (SoCal Animal Response Team) is not an animal rescue; we take care of disaster victims' pets and animals in a temporary animal shelter next to a community shelter (Red Cross or other) to help encourage pet and animal owners to evacuate from danger areas when ordered by the local authority. Often evacuees with pets are not allowed to bring their pets into community shelters, which deters people from taking advantage of the shelter.
SCART responds at the request of the local authority to the community shelter, to take care of the human evacuees' animals on-site while it remains unsafe for the evacuees to return home. SCART is equipped to care for all kinds of animals, usually right next to the community shelter. Animal owners are encouraged to visit and help care for their animals at the SCART shelter.
SCART volunteers are expected to be team players, complete several training courses, and participate in training exercises. SCART volunteers can fill many roles and sometimes in a disaster will not have a choice in their assignment. Tasks include assembling the shelter area, feeding and caring for animals, cleaning kennels of animal waste, and interacting with animal owners. The work environment may be hot or cold, windy or rainy, and wildfire smoke and ash may be in the air. Food choices are often limited and special diets may not be able to be accommodated.
As tough as the conditions may be, you will be playing a very important role in disaster relief, as the animals rely on committed people to keep them fed and reduce their fears in a disaster situation. Your care of these animals allows the human owners to stay in a safe place close to their animals until it is safe for them to return home. Thank you for your interest!
How You Can Help
Community Outreach (Booth Events)
- Help fulfill our mission to educate the public about animal preparedness at multi-agency events. Interact with the community with SCART's Ready Pak guide for families and their pets. Community outreach is an excellent opportunity to learn and meet our community partners.
Education and Training/Speaking Engagements
- SCART offers training and presentations to partner agencies and community organizations. Each “how to” training session depends on the request. Are you comfortable speaking in public? Do you know how to prepare virtual or in-person presentations and handouts? Have a desire to learn and present this type of animal preparedness? We welcome your input and feedback.
Promotions and Fundraising
- As a nonprofit, SCART depends on fundraising to continue its mission. Let’s coordinate how to expand our fundraising and donations.
- Example: Meeting with restaurants, coffee houses, etc., for dining and donation opportunities.
- Promoting our events with social media and other media outlets.
Administration Assistant
- We welcome your experience. Review and get familiar with the required SCART Animal Disaster Shelter forms and SCART’s Animal Preparedness Ready Pak. Make copies for events and more!
- Logistics Support: Ready, Set, Go! Help with SCART’s AKC trailer and storage unit inventory. Ensure we are ready to deploy.
- Assist set-up for community outreach (booth events).
- Drivers and assistants with trailer experience: Pull SCART’s AKC trailer to events.