- Zoos: A Historical Perspective from Smithsonian Institution Libraries
The National Zoological Park is an accredited member of the Association of Zoos & Aquariums.
AZA
From Erika Bauer, the Zoo’s first Fujifilm Curatorial Resident in Animal Care
November 2008
In Case of Emergency
We’ve all been through some kind of practice drill over the course of our lives—a fire drill, a tornado drill, or maybe some other type of disaster drill. Drills are opportunities to practice how we should respond and prepare us if we’re ever faced with an actual emergency.
Going through the motions of a drill helps to test whether we know exactly what we’re supposed to do, how we’re supposed to act, where we’re supposed to go, and whether we’re missing anything that we’ll need if the real event were to occur. Practicing helps us to become familiar with what our response should be, and that familiarity will make us faster, more efficient, and hopefully less stressed during a real event.
In zoos, we also perform drills to perfect our reactions in all sorts of emergency scenarios. The Association of Zoos and Aquariums requires that accredited zoos conduct each of four types of emergency drills at least once a year. These include fire, weather/environment, injury to staff or a visitor, and animal escape.
Here at the National Zoo, we go above and beyond that requirement—our drills take place at least four times a year, and we try to coordinate one drill per month when possible. We often combine issues—such as an animal escape drill plus a simulated human injury or bad weather condition—to create scenarios that are as realistically complex as they might be if things were to actually go awry. In addition to drills, staff from different departments gather to discuss hypothetical situations and what the appropriate responses would be.
Any zoo professional would probably agree that is it important to drill often and to drill as if it’s the real thing. That’s what we do here, and it makes us more prepared to respond when it is the real thing. As a member of the Animal Programs team, the drills that affect me the most are usually those that involve simulated animal escapes.
What Happens During an Animal Escape Drill?
Much of our typical daily communication takes place by radio (walkie talkie), and we especially depend on quick radio communication when we’re faced with an emergency.
When a drill takes place, it is announced on the radio, and several departments respond—animal care, police, veterinarians, and others as needed, depending on the type of emergency. Often, radio silence is requested for all communications not related to the emergency response until a "stand down" has been called. This leaves the radiowaves available for those who are focused on resolving the emergency.
Generally, the staff member with the most expertise in dealing with the escaped animal acts as the recapture supervisor. This person coordinates the efforts of all the other staff who respond to the emergency radio call. The role of each staff member is dictated by what department he or she is in, and where that person is at the time of the event.
In an animal escape drill at the Zoo, the animal care department focuses on physically securing the animal; the veterinary staff respond, if necessary, with chemical restraint (to tranquilize the escapee), and are present to assess the health of the animal if it is injured or compromised; and the police are responsible for securing the Zoo grounds, communicating with external emergency response teams (such as local police, fire, and EMT), and in the worst of cases—when human life is at risk—police are prepared to respond with lethal force. If the drill simulates an animal escaping into public areas, additional staff responders may be called upon to assist with crowd control, moving visitors to secure areas away from the escape location.
As you might imagine, there’s a lot going on throughout the Zoo during a drill. And everyone pays attention to events as they unfold.
Typically, a team of non-responders is designated before an animal escape drill takes place. This team includes the drill coordinator, a person who acts as the escaped animal, and a team of observers who record data about the response to the simulated event. A scenario is pre-planned, and though Zoo staff may be informed that they should expect some sort of drill, the actual details of the drill are not announced zoo-wide until the drill takes place.
This Is Only a Drill
You might wonder whether people really respond to drills the same as they would in a real emergency. Well, yes and no. The same actions are required in both scenarios, but I suspect the emotional responses that people feel as they go through the motions are distinctly different when the event is real versus when it’s simulated. However, the experienced veterans here at the Zoo have noted that in their experience, people tend to respond better when the situations are real. This might be due to the fact that it’s a challenge to overcome the "Well, this is only a drill" mentality when one knows the scenario is contrived. This is why we try to recreate scenarios that are as realistic and intense as possible, even in drills. It’s the professional responsibility of each person to evaluate and address how his or her response might vary depending on whether or not the situation is real.
A couple of weeks ago, I participated in an animal escape drill as an observer. My job was to step to the side and take notes on the responses of others. The whole time, I was reflecting on how I would be handling myself if I were one of the responders, and I learned a great deal from the experience even though I wasn’t one of the primary actors.
