Rick Deitrich: Taking a look at strategies for disaster planning

In the event of a disaster, where is your laboratory animal facility most vulnerable? Rick Deitrich can to tell you.

Deitrich, vice president of Synectic Resources Inc., will lead a session at the upcoming 2007 TurnKey conference about planning for on-site disasters. The 2007 TurnKey Conference will be held April 10-11, 2007, in Boston, Mass.

Animal Lab News: Your session at the 2007 TurnKey conference is about disaster planning. What kind of disasters can happen?

Rick Deitrich: You can classify disasters at two levels. Level 1 disasters related to the failure of the building support systems such as electrical, water supply or mechanical issues related to the HVAC system.

Level 2 disasters are the ones we focus our attention on the most since they relate to catastrophic events such as hurricanes, tornadoes, floods or earthquakes. We would have to add another category for terrorist attacks that could have a greater impact.

ALN: What is the most common type of disaster you’ve seen in an animal facility?

Deitrich: Power outages and the disruption of water supply would be the most common. Depending on your geographical location disasters related to severe weather conditions especially near coastal areas have had the greatest impact in the past.

ALN: What’s the best approach to avoiding such situations?

Deitrich: Some situations can not be avoided due to weather. The key is being prepared, and recognizing what your risks are for your particular area. Areas that are subject to hurricanes must consider the risk of floods and power outages. This is especially critical for facilities that have located their animals in the basement of their buildings. The impact on ventilated racks systems is very critical as to maintaining air flow and water supply.

ALN: What’s the most common mistake you’ve seen made when someone is managing a facility and doesn’t prepare for a disastrous situation?

Deitrich: Older facilities that were designed with their animal facilities located in the lower level of the building pose a risk of floods and loss of valuable animals and research data. The loss of power and the failure to provide emergency power backup to the ventilated caging systems is a major consideration. Animals must have water in order to survive. Water gel packs are a simple and cost effective way to insure the animals have a continuous supply of water.

ALN: What is the most basic step administrators can take to best recover after a disaster?

Deitrich: Having never been put into that position myself, I can only comment on what those who have experienced in a disaster and the lessons learned. The key is to have a disaster plan of action, put the plan into action quickly when the threat of a disaster is imminent, and finally work as a team to bring all your resources together.

ALN: What challenges do individually ventilated cages pose?

Deitrich: Ventilated caging systems are dependent on electrical supply, temperature, humidity control and a fresh supply of water to the animals. The ability for a caging system to sustain the animals’ environment as a static system without air flow for a period of time will be a critical factor until power can be restored or removal of the animals. The ability to maintain a supply of water to the animals to prevent dehydration will also be critical.

ALN: What’s the most important part of developing a disaster plan?

Deitrich: Protecting personnel and maintaining a safe environment for the research animals.

ALN: What can people expect from your session at this year’s TurnKey conference?

Deitrich: The users of ventilated caging systems need to be aware of the capabilities and limitations of their animal housing systems under disaster conditions. The facility ventilation system and the method of delivering water to the animals will be a critical element in sustaining the life of the animals.

The 2007 TurnKey Conference will be held April 10-11, 2007, in Boston, Mass.