Stable Solution

Evacuating larger farm animals such as horses, ponies, mules, donkeys, goats, sheep, chickens, pigs, rabbits, llamas and alpacas can be particularly daunting during emergencies.

One nonprofit with a strong focus on sheltering large animals during disasters in the county is LASER, Large Animal Shelters and Emergency Readiness, which has the motto: “In times of crisis, your STABLE solution!”

“Our community has been on edge since the recent tragic wildfires in California,” said LASER Director Cathy Heath, who is also the nonprofit’s secretary. “There is no better time than right now to prepare.” 

In addition to wildfires, there are other disasters that can threaten communities. “Wildfire is the biggest threat to life and property year-round in our area, but other disasters could result in the need to evacuate, such as flooding, earthquakes and hazardous waste spills,” said Heath. “This last year has been extremely dry, so the likelihood of more fires is very high. That’s why it is so important to prepare now.”

Disasters never happen at a convenient time and strong emotions of fear and uncertainty can run high when emergencies force humans to evacuate their homes and rescue loved ones, including animals of all sizes. Dogs, cats and household pets are sheltered by Animal Disaster Services (ADS), a nonprofit that works in conjunction with LASER.

Evacuation plans forged in advance can ensure animal owners know the locations of evacuation centers where barn animals can find a safe haven. “We are the destination,” she said. “Our residents may bring their barn animals to the LASER shelter when a GO order is issued by the Sheriff. If they do not have a way to transport them, Emergency Equine Evacuation may be able to help.”

Currently, LASER has two dedicated shelter locations in the Greater Prescott Basin that are open only during emergencies. The largest and primary shelter, provided by the Yavapai County Board of Supervisors, is in Prescott Valley. The second location is in Chino Valley, in partnership with the Town of Chino Valley and the Chino Valley Equestrian Association.  

Disaster response begins and ends at the community level and LASER is “empowered entirely by our dedicated volunteers, charitable donors, grants and generous local businesses,” Heath added. “There are no salaries and no government funds are received.”

In order to keep current and efficient, LASER is now scheduling drills for new volunteers and to recertify current volunteers. “These drills are conducted both indoors – to focus on procedure and paperwork – and at the shelter sites with live animals,” she said. “This is an ideal time to volunteer to help at the shelter in various roles and to assist with fundraising and outreach events.”

An important part of the LASER mission includes providing emergency preparedness information to the public. Emergency Manager Ashley Ahlquist, of the Yavapai County Office of Emergency Management, is well versed on preparing for disasters.

“During an incident, such as the Brady Fire that is currently underway, we will activate our volunteers to run the shelters,” Ahlquist said in a mid-February interview. “We cannot stress the importance of being prepared. Luck is unreliable; hope is not a plan.”

She outlined the following directions for disaster preparedness: Prepare for potential long-term service disruptions by identifying alternative food and water sources and maintaining backup generators with fuel for farm operations; keep vehicles fueled and have emergency cash available in case of possible ATM outages; assemble an animal evacuation kit and keep necessary equipment accessible with a plan on who and how you will evacuate; consult your veterinarian for animal identification options and make copies of ownership and identification documents; and finally, prepare emergency contact lists ahead of time.

Volunteers have had quite a bit of practice in the past few months. “Recently, we have seen several small fires start that were quickly extinguished by our first responders,” Heath said. “Many of those were structure fires or roadside fires that began to spread. In 2024, LASER was activated for a fire in the Kirkland area and our shelter was ready, but the fire was contained at 111 acres and evacuated residents were able to return home quickly. LASER was also on stand-by status for three other fires in Cordes Lakes, Yarnell and Paulden.”

She says LASER volunteers are available to make presentations about emergency preparedness to neighborhoods, HOAs, clubs or service organizations.

Rescuers note that vital for any resilient community are social ties. In the past, disasters have shown that residents and businesses of Yavapai County come together during times of crisis.

“Local businesses, such as Olsen’s Grain, have generously donated hay and supplies to LASER for past activations, but, if a disaster strikes during off-hours, LASER has been raising funds to have hay immediately available,” Heath said. QCBN

By Betsey Bruner, QCBN

Photos courtesy of Cathy Heat: Volunteers are trained and prepared to take care of large animals in the event of a disaster.