National Expansion
Click image to download Application Instructions for BART Program Establishment
Click image to download Application for BART Program Establishment.
BART Curriculum Gains National Approval
On March 3, 2008 the Federal Emergency Management Agency/US Department of Homeland Security (FEMA/DHS) approved the curriculum for the Basic Animal Rescue Training (BART) Small Animal Basic Life Support course. Minnesota Homeland Security and Emergency Management approved the course for delivery in Minnesota in 2007 and assisted the Basic Animal Rescue Training organization with the FEMA course approval application process. FEMA approval makes the BART class a national standard course for training first responders in safe pet handling and rescue on the scene of emergencies. FEMA approval also makes BART and departments we train eligible for federal funding to help cover the costs of holding classes.
Why did BART pursue FEMA approval? BART has received training requests from over 30 states and is pursuing national expansion. The American Veterinary Medical Foundation has granted BART $50,000 in matching funds to aid our expansion to 5 new states. As an almost completely volunteer organization, BART realizes our Minnesota trainers cannot personally train all the first responders in the nation. We needed a way to standardize our course and FEMA provided the route. BART was able to require that our course can only be taught in other states when the State Veterinary Medical Association and Board of Veterinary Medicine approve, and that the trainers have to be in the veterinary profession and certified by BART to teach our class. This will ensure that the course continues to meet our high standards, no matter where it is taught. BART plans to travel to other states to hold Train the Trainer classes and teach veterinary volunteers how to deliver the BART courses.
BART Receives Grant for National Expansion
Basic Animal Rescue Training has been awarded a $50,000 matching grant from the American Veterinary Medical Foundation (AVMF) to be used toward expanding the training program beyond Minnesota and starting chapters in 5 new states. This money will be used toward purchasing training equipment and holding Train the Trainer classes for new BART volunteers in chapters outside of Minnesota.
BART requested financial assistance from the AVMF for national expansion in response to interest from multiple states in starting the training there. People in twenty five states have contacted BART thus far.
To date, this AVMF grant is the largest amount of funds donated to BART. Dr. Anna van Heeckeren, chair of the AVMF Grants and Awards Committee, said the caliber of BART’s written national expansion proposal was stellar. “They obviously put a lot of effort into thinking about the program and how to put that across on paper,” she said.
The $50,000 grant to BART is one of the highest amounts of money that the AVMF has awarded from its Animal Disaster Relief and Response Fund, aside from the grants provided to the AVMA Veterinary Medical Assistance Teams.
To learn more about starting a BART chapter and how to apply for the AVMF matching funding, contact us or call 612 282 2608.
Read the related story in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association
Visit the American Veterinary Medical Foundation website
