Volunteers Needed To Help Rescue Animals During Emergencies

Riverside County is seeking more volunteers for the Riverside Emergency Animal Rescue System (R.E.A.R.S.). The group is a network of volunteers trained by Riverside County Animal Services to assist the department in large-scale emergencies, such as wildfires. The volunteers are dispatched through Animal Services’ command structure.

Each year the department seeks new volunteers for an orientation meeting and various training exercises. The next orientation meeting is Saturday, Jan. 11, at the Western Riverside County/City Animal Shelter at 6851 Van Buren Blvd. An orientation for all prospective shelter and R.E.A.R.S.-interested volunteers begins at 10:30 a.m. and runs until about noon. REARS signups then break into a separate orientation. The orientation ends at about 5 p.m. 

Only those volunteers who have been certified can assist when R.E.A.R.S. is called into action, said Rita Gutierrez, commander for Riverside County Animal Services’ field division.

“When we get large-scale events, we really rely on our R.E.A.R.S. members to help us respond fast and safely when it comes to saving and protecting and caring for the county’s larger animals,” Gutierrez said. “One common factor when wildfires happen is the interest from many people that want to help. However, we only use our certified REARS members because they have been through all the crucial training and safety exercises.”

Volunteer members are generally horse enthusiasts because they’re helping with evacuations of larger animals, livestock and the like, Gutierrez said. However, volunteering for R.E.A.R.S. is open to all residents, she said.

Volunteering for the nonprofit organization is her way of making sure she can help pet owners in major disasters, said Sheila Cassidy, a Riverside resident and one of the area coordinators for the R.E.A.R.S. team.

“I still remember a fire bearing down on a mobile home park that I lived in before buying my home,” Cassidy recalled. “The call came while I was at work in Orange County, and I immediately got in my truck and sped home, to load my Samoyed dogs and their food, plus a few cherished items and got out before the fire hit. So many folks do not have that option to leave work, and their animals are at the mercy of any bad events that happen when the owners are away.  If my team and I can save some of these animals for these owners, then we are blessed. And if I had my way, every county would have a R.E.A.R.S-like team.”

For more information, please send an e-mail to Rita Gutirrez at RDgutier@rcdas.org. The REARS volunteer application form can be found at this link:  http://www.rcrears.com/member.htm. The Web site for REARS is located here: http://www.rcrears.com.