This document summarizes the implementation of Australia's National Preparedness Plan for animal disease outbreaks. It outlines the emergency response management structure from the national to local levels. It emphasizes the importance of preparedness planning through standardized operational procedures, job descriptions for responders, and pre-contracting support services. It also stresses using trained professionals and humane culling techniques like anoxia over untrained workers. A key point is the need to match culling and disposal capacities to control outbreaks within 48 hours.

1. From Ausvet Plan to Implementation
Implementation of the National Preparedness plan and the use of
Guidelines and Standard Operational Procedures
Presented by Harm Kiezebrink
Project manager Anoxia project
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2. OVERVIEW
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Emergency Response Management structure
The Ausvet plan
The National Emergency Operations Center
Transforming guidelines into operations
Functions on local response level
Preparedness planning
The 80 – 20 rule
Pre-contracting non- Governmental professionals
Culling techniques instead of untrained staff
Job description for responders
SOP’s for field operations
Bringing outbreaks under control within 48 hours
Anoxia: the principle of total lack of oxygen
Matching Culling & Disposal
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3. The Ausvet Plan
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It describes the guidelines that need to be followed during
outbreak response activities
It specifies the command structure
Describes the directions for the response organization how
to act during a crises
It gives an overview of the tasks, roles and responsibilities
of the responders, without going into details
It does not describe in detail how the the activities need
to be carried out
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4. Emergency Response Management structure
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National: Policy, strategic planning and decision making
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Regional: transforming strategic planning into tactical
operational management:
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coordination, inspection, public information
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logistics, capacity management
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veterinary, human health
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Finance, registration & administration, contracting, information
management
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Public safety, zoning & traffic control
Local: Operational management
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5. Functions of the National Emergency Operations Center
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Communication management
– between involved ministries and advisory boards
– Veterinary/human health departments, services &
industry
– National media
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National coordination of regional operations
– Logistics
– Planning
– Administration and finance
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6. Functions Regional Emergency Operations Center
Transforming guidelines into operations
Managing the Regional Command & Control operations
•Coordination of all regional and local veterinary activities
•Planning local culling & disposal capacity
•Coordination of logistics, culling, disposal, cleaning &
disinfection, waste management, pest control, HRM, etc.
•Inspection & reporting on local operations
•Financial management on regional/local response activities
•Providing the infrastructure for administration
•Briefing & debriefing governmental response members
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7. Functions of a Local Response Center
Operational management
• Depopulation & Cleaning & Disinfection activities
• Virus containment within the infected area
• Human health of the responders
• Human Resource Management
• Management of equipment and materials
• Personal protection and the safety of the responders
• Transportation
• Financial support
• Registration and administration
• Lodging, food & beverages
• Traffic management
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8. Preparedness planning is essential
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Professionals
– Job descriptions
– Training
– Simulation
– Budgeting
Field workers
– Very strict management by professionals on the basis
of Standard Operating Procedures
– Training and simulation during response activities is not
an option
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9. The 80 – 20 rule is valid
A minority of 20% of all responders are well-trained
Governmental and veterinary professionals
•Veterinary staff
•Governmental Advisors
•Experts on culling & disposal
•Human health specialists
•Non- Governmental professionals (logistic, finance
etc.)
The majority 80% of the responders are untrained and
unprepared fieldworkers
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10. Pre-contracting
non- Governmental professionals is essential
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Suppliers of logistic services
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Suppliers of human resources
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Suppliers of transport materials
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Suppliers of technical equipment and materials
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Suppliers of IT services and equipment
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11. Culling techniques
instead of untrained staff
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Reduce the number of responders
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Reduce training efforts using trained emergency
responders to carry out activities on the farm
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Use simple and effective culling techniques that fit
into existing response structures
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Use disposable containers
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Use tracking & tracing techniques
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12. Job description for each responder
They describe the specific tasks, roles and responsibilities of
the responders in details
– Determine the position of the responder
– Determine the role of the responder within the
response organization
– Describe responsibilities of the responder
– Describe tasks of the of the responder
– Qualifications of the responder
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13. Standard Operational Procedures for each field operation
– The job titles, describing who is involved in carrying out
the procedure, tasks & responsibilities, command
structure, etc.
– The preparation for the procedure, including
description of the different phases
– The sequent of events
– Description of the materials and equipment needed
and how to apply them to carry out the procedure
– How to react in case of exceptional situations
– Who needs to be briefed and debriefed
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14. Example: Planning of a culling operation
As part of preparedness planning: pre-assessment of each farm
• Using decision trees helps to get a better understanding of
the kind of culling technique is the most appropriate
• Culling can only start at the moment that the
disposal/transportation of carcasses is arranged!
• What are the critical processes that result in the success or
failure of the culling operation?
• What is plan B?
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15. Breaking up farms into standard approaches
to bring outbreaks under control within 48 hours
Not one farm is the same
• Many small farms and backyard farming, demanding a
standardized administrative-based approach, applying local
authorities to control and incentives for farmers being
actively involved in the operational processers (see the
CORT handout for more info)
• The focus of controlling outbreaks on large farms is on using
techniques instead of human labor, following a wellprepared depopulation plan designed for the specific large
farm (see the Important culling decision points handout)
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16. Standard culling techniques based
on the principle of total lack of oxygen
To be used to cull both small and large numbers
• Disposable containers in combination with the Anoxia
technique with the capacity to cull 100 – 6.000 birds within 6
hours (using a crew of 2 to 5 responders)
• Using the Anoxia tunnel system (layers) with a capacity to
cull 8.000 to 16.000 animals per hour, applying regular farm
staff (mobile Anoxia nozzle cluster on top of cages or
drivable for floor bred poultry)
• Using Anoxia stable foaming system (floor bred animals)
applying well-trained emergency responders and the
standard generator- and compressor equipment of the local
fire brigade
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17. Culling & disposal numbers of birds
have to be a match
What is the consequence of culling 16.000 birds per hour (348.000 per 24 hours)?
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Each hour you create approx. 30 tons of carcasses that need to be processed
At least 2 trucks with empty containers with a capacity of 20 tones need to be
present on the infected premises IP at all time
Every hour, 2 full trucks need to be completely cleaned and disinfected on the IP,
taking at least 30 minutes per truck
The total time involved per truck used is at least 4 hours before it can return to the
IP, in case the trucks with carcasses have to drive over 30 km through local traffic
to a disposal site, they have to be completely cleaned and disinfected at the
disposal location before they return to the IP:
The minimum transportation capacity is 12 to 16 trucks to match the capacity of
16.000 birds per hour (efficiency rate 75%)
You have to hire 36 to 48 truck drivers, trained in the very basics of bio security
and personal protection per 24 hours
You need a disposal capacity of 720 tons per 24 hours, excluding disposal
techniques like rendering
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18. Don’t buy weapons in wartime!
Thank you for your attention
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