This intensive one-day course equips participants with the knowledge and practical skills to build a realistic, location-specific disaster plan for equine and livestock properties. Participants learn how to assess risk, prepare for common emergencies (fire, flooding, severe storms, utility outages, structural collapse, and more), and develop clear procedures for localized evacuation, out-of-town evacuation, or shelter-in-place—before an emergency occurs. The course blends classroom instruction with hands-on planning activities and scenario-based practice.

Course Duration: ~8h
Course comes with a comprehensive manual, certification, and all needed material

• Explain the three core preparedness pathways: Localized Evacuation, Out-of-Town Evacuation, and Shelter in Place, and identify which is appropriate for different scenarios.

• Conduct a safety-oriented risk and vulnerability assessment for their facility (terrain, flood plain proximity, turnout vs. confinement, facility condition, surrounding fuels/forests/grassland).

• Interpret and plan around evacuation phases: Evacuation Alert, Evacuation Order, and Evacuation Rescind, including realistic time constraints and enforcement limitations.

• Create (or refine) a property map that includes hazards, access points, water sources, muster point(s), exits, and critical information that first responders need.

• Build an animal inventory and identification strategy to support evacuation, reunification, and emergency medical care.

• Develop evacuation plans for local sites and distant sites, including selection criteria (accessibility, offloading, shelter/stalls/paddocks, water/feed, bedding, biohazards, identification).

• Identify major fire risks (barn fire causes, hay fire warning signs/temperature zones) and implement practical prevention and response actions.

• Apply the AAA emergency framework (Activate, Assist, Attempt) to barn fire and structural emergency response decision-making.

• Prepare a two-week self-sufficiency kit and plan for maintaining basic services (especially water and power), including safe generator considerations. 

• Describe common animal behavior considerations during emergencies (flight responses, handling constraints, and why practice matters).