FLOWOOD, Miss. -- When responding to emergencies, collaboration between state agencies is critical in the effort to save lives.

Full-scale exercises like Operation Angel Flight test and evaluate these agencies’ preparedness in the event that they are called to assist with a disaster event. This drill, conducted by the G.V. (Sonny) Montgomery Veterans Affairs Medical Center, was held May 9 at the Allen C. Thompson Field Air National Guard Base.

One of the exercise’s planners was Dr. Carla Huston, Mississippi State University Extension veterinarian and professor at the College of Veterinary Medicine, who provided a veterinary strike team consisting of veterinarians and technicians to perform triage and medical care services for pets and service animals.

“These exercises are meant to portray real-world activities for each participating agency after assistance is requested, so the people planning them may not share a lot of details about the scenario ahead of time,” Huston said. “Once strike teams are activated and receive their missions, they have to think on their feet and be well-versed in their roles.”

The MSU Extension Service and the MSU College of Veterinary Medicine, or CVM, were among the organizations assisting the Mississippi Board of Animal Health, or MBAH. Together, MSU Extension and MSU CVM along with other participating groups form the Mississippi Animal Response Team, or MART, which is the official coordination and response team for disasters under MBAH.

Both MSU Extension and MSU CVM are agencies written into the state’s comprehensive emergency management plan to respond to disasters. The plan has more than a dozen “emergency support functions,” several of which include MSU Extension as a supporting agency. One of these functions, ESF-11, involves management of animals, agriculture and natural resources during a disaster. MBAH is the lead agency within ESF-11 for animal issues.

Other organizations participating in the exercise included the 172nd Airlift Wing, the University of Mississippi Medical Center and the Mississippi State Department of Health, or MSDH.

This exercise simulated the VA Center receiving human and animal patients evacuated from a category 5 hurricane in Puerto Rico, assessing their conditions and transporting them to the appropriate medical facility for treatment. During the initial response to a disaster, a Federal Coordinating Center may be set up to support patient movement and evacuation from impacted areas.

Dr. Hope Martin, deputy state veterinarian with MBAH, said responders also must learn to become flexible and improvise in situations where conditions for medical care may not be ideal.

“These evacuation scenarios may develop into more complicated situations, such as the accidental introduction of a zoonotic or foreign animal disease from an evacuated animal,” Martin said. “That’s why these dress rehearsals are important. They show each responding agency where they are well prepared and where they need to improve.”

Anne Howard Hilbun-Benoit, instructor with the MSU Extension Center for Government and Community Development, served as one of the exercise’s evaluators.

“In addition to helping us all become better public servants, these exercises are good opportunities for us to build partnerships with state agency partners like MBAH and MSDH,” she said. “When we understand each other’s strengths and capabilities before responding to emergencies, we can work together more effectively during one.”