BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — A two-day volunteer training session for the Central California Animal Disaster Team came to an end recently.
"I've always wanted to work with animals," said Luna Glover, a volunteer who drove from Mariposa County to attend the two-day training event. "I currently work with animals as a vet assistant and this seemed like one of the best opportunities I could take to help people and to help the animals themselves as well. "
"Ever since I was a little kid, I used to watch Steve Irwin," she continued. "He was probably one of my biggest inspirations growing up and I always aspired to help animals and help conservation efforts. "
The Central California Animal Disaster Team (CCADT) is entirely run by volunteers and is funded by donations and grants.
"Specifically in Kern County, if there’s an emergency or disaster that displaces people, then we come into play if kern county animal services, the county agency, needs help in providing for those animals," explained Jeff Kermode, the public information officer for the organization.
In addition to providing shelter, the nonprofit also helps emergency services find and evacuate the animals.
"To illustrate the relationship that the county has with CCADT, they're just a huge part of what we are able to do for county residents when there's a disaster that strikes," said Nick Cullen, Director of Kern County Animal Services. "I mean, we literally could not provide the care for the communities pets without them. The only limitations we have in providing care for people's animals in times of disaster is the sheer volume that CCADT has. The more volunteers they have, the more care we can provide to folks."
Topics covered at the training include an overview of the organization, hazards volunteers might face in the field, and the laws behind emergency animal sheltering and handling. The two-day training ended with the volunteers learning to set up a temporary shelter
"CCADT will give you the training," said Debbie Geary, the Kern County area Director for CCADT. "Actually, there's been some spontaneous volunteers that have come out to large animal shelters when we were up at the Creek Fire. We had one little boy who was supposedly there to be punished by his parents but he ended up falling in love with doing everything."
Recent storms have made the organization extra busy, however.
"We are desperately seeking volunteers," explained Geary. "These past couple of months have been pretty crazy with the water and the flooding. It's not something that's normal here. [It] pretty much took all of our volunteers to go multiple times, so please come help."
To learn about volunteering for the organization, visit the CCADT website.
