Animal Hazards and Safety Protocols (AMAS)

This online module satisfies the FEMA NIMS position-specific training requirement for animal hazards and safety protocols (NIMS 509, Swiftwater/Flood SAR Technician, TRAINING 3.g) and the same requirement in the Stillwater/Flood and Land SAR Technician typings. Students learn to identify the four classes of animal hazard found in flood and wide-area search environments; recognize venomous snakes and alligators in the Gulf Coast operating environment and apply the correct standoff distances; read canine stress and aggression signals and apply contain-don’t-capture protocols for displaced companion animals; identify the flight, kick, and strike zones of large animals and the hard stops that apply to untrained personnel; determine when an animal hazard exceeds their scope and make the correct hand-off to an Animal Search and Rescue (ASAR) Technician, animal control, or ESF-11; and work safely near a NIMS-typed canine search team. Content is built against ASTM F2890, NFPA 1006/1670, and NASAAEP best practices.