Equine Preparedness

Marin County Equine Disaster Preparedness Survey

Letter from Marin Humane about emergency preparedness and a survey for equine facility owners. Contains signatures of Nancy McKenney and Shiny Caldwell.

Print Survey & Mail

 

September, 2025: 

News to share with Marin Horse Council Members and Friends:

 

Disaster Preparedness Priorities

Marin Humane continues to make disaster preparedness and response a high priority. In July Marin Humane launched a new strategic plan which includes a set of initiatives around improving both our internal capabilities to respond to disasters and helping our community be more prepared. Over the next three years we are committing to holding more disaster preparedness workshops, increasing the number of volunteers assisting us in drills and community education, having more of our staff trained to deploy, and building out our equipment and supplies for response and recovery needs.

 

New Animal Services Officers and interested staff have completed Animal Technical Rescue (ATR) training and refreshers at Atwood Ranch this year. Our leadership team is also regularly meeting with the County Office of Emergency Management and the American Red Cross to coordinate animal emergency housing plans in Marin. 

 

More specifically, in the coming months Marin Humane is enhancing our dispatching equipment and reorganizing our Animal Services staffing to provide better communications – between our Animal Services Officers in the field and our staff back on our main campus in Novato. 

 

Invitation to Come See us at Ember Stomp

Marin Humane will be back at Marin County’s Ember Stomp event on Saturday, September 6th. Please come to our booth, located close to the Halter Project booth, and say “hello” and pick up information regarding what to do as a pet guardian and horse owner. Ember Stomp is free and held at the Marin Fairgrounds from 10:00am until 4:00pm.

 

Update on the MHC Grant to Marin Humane

Marin Humane received a $10,000 gift from the Marin Horse Council in honor of Cindy Machado’s retirement in 2024 (our Animal Services Director before Shiny). To date, a portion of the gift has supported veterinary care during a complex horse rescue near Bass Lake in West Marin in July 2024. We are also planning to use the remaining funds to re-outfit one of the horse trailers for ATR and disaster response, ensuring it is fully equipped (tools, ropes, sleds, etc.) to serve as a mobile command center when emergencies arise. 

 

Nancy B McKenney, MNPL, CAWA

CEO/President 

Pet Parent to Daisy (a Marin Humane alum)

 

415.506.6200 Direct & Text; 415.883.4621 Campus

Whenever encountering an emergency you should call 911. Below you will find the contact information to report an incident in Marin County. Disaster Preparedness is on all our minds and we partner with organizations in Marin to assist the Horse Community. To develop your own Disaster Plan and to find training for Disaster and Emergency Response, we encourage you to familiarize yourself with these resources:

Logo with the words 'READY' in green and 'marin' in black.
Marin County Equine Disaster Prep Survey form with fields for facility information, business owner, contact details, and type of equine business.

Take Survey Online

Text graphic reading "HALTER Project Animal Emergency + Disaster Preparedness + Response" with red and blue lettering.

Self Assessment Q&A

Rate your readiness with this self-assessment Q&A

Then, take steps to improve where you feel you need it most.

Next, breathe, and get ready to enjoy summer!

1. Animals at home during a wildfire:

Assessing the risks:

  • Pens and  pastures: are they  defensible?

  • Are your fences secure?

  • Water source:  is it secure?

  • Trees: Can they fall on fences or paddocks?

  • Is your hay stored a safe distance away from buildings, trees and animals?

  • Are your "safe spaces for animals" clearly visible? (Not hidden by trees?)

  • Access to your property: can  emergency workers get in to  feed, water & check on animals?

2. Planning to Evacuate:  Plan and Practice!

  • Do your animals all load easily, for anyone, in a variety of trailers?

  • Do you have more than enough transportation help lined up?

  • Do you have extra halters, lead ropes, buckets, water & feed?

  • Do you know all possible routes?

  • Do you have multiple destinations?

  • Do you have multiple resources who can get your animals if you're not there?

3: When you and your animals are separated:  Planning for speedy reunification:

  • Are pets, and equines microchipped?

  • Do animals all have some sort of ID on them?

  • Do you have photo ID for your animals?(and short videos of pets?)

4. Evacuation Locations:  Keeping the whole family, and animals, healthy:

  • Do you have health records, medications, plenty of food and water to take with you?

  • Do you have multiple plans and locations?

  • Can older or lame animals handle stress of emergency sheltering?

  • Do you have masks, disinfectant and  hygiene supplies in your ready kits?

5. Be aware of what's happening - Be ready to go as soon as an Evac Warning is issued:

  • Red  Flag (or Flash Flood Warning) means Get Ready! 

  • Warning means Go Now!

  • Evac Order means it may be too late to evacuate equines and livestock safely, you must put your SIP plan into action.

  • Evac Order means unauthorized helpers (and usually, owners), cannot  go beyond a roadblock.

  • Once an Evac Order is in place, it may not be possible to evacuate equines and livestock safely. Don't wait to Evacuate!

6. How to get alerts and what they mean:

  • Sign up for all local alerts  (Go to County Emergency Services website)

  • Do you have a NOAA weather radio with "SAME" alert feature?

  • Are your AM/FM  radios pre-set to local news channels ? (including car)

  • Does your community use sirens?

  • Do you have a neighborhood (Or barn, or business) phone tree?

  • Do you have out-of-area contacts you use when local phone services are disabled?

7. Sheltering in Place - Safety and survival:

  • Have you considered every occurrence that might impact you and your equines? (Including extended power outages)

  • Do you have "safe places" at home or nearby?

  • Do you have all the supplies you need for you and your animals to stay healthy if you are without power or help for at least 7-10 days?

  • Does your local fire and/or Sheriff department know who might be sheltered on your property, including the animals? (DAP Map)

  • Are you aware of potential hazards?  (Fuel tanks, chemicals, dangerous trees, unsafe electrical connections, old septic tanks or wells)

8. Helping the Whole Community - Include Spanish-speakers, workers, elderly and less-able residents:

  • Do your workers know the plans for your animals?

  • Do your workers have what they need to stay safe and healthy?

  • Is there a "safety net" for older and disabled neighbors and their animals?

9. Local Resources and Information

10. Helpful Preparedness Tools

  • HALTER Project (Disaster Action Plan binders, Go-Bag checklists, Evac and SIP videos, horse handling for firefighters, Family Communication Plan forms, Spanish-language info and more)