SACRAMENTO, CA (January 29, 2007) – United Animal Nations (UAN) is pleased to welcome Matthew Herlocker as the new Program Director for its Emergency Animal Rescue Service (EARS). Through EARS, UAN sets up and operates temporary animal shelters when emergencies or disasters overwhelm communities.
Herlocker has more than 20 years of experience in emergency services. He spent seven years as an emergency services specialist with the Placer County Office of Emergency Services in Auburn, California, where he developed and managed emergency exercises, managed a hazardous materials response program, and wrote emergency plans and procedures. He has personally responded to a wide variety of emergencies, including seven presidentially declared disasters. Last fall, Herlocker spent nine months in Louisiana as a consultant with James Lee Witt Associates. Witt was hired to advise Governor Kathleen Blanco on the recovery from Hurricane Katrina .
“Matt brings considerable expertise and knowledge in all facets of emergency planning and response, including hands-on field work, to United Animal Nations,” said UAN president and CEO Nicole Forsyth . “He will be a source of confidence for the agencies that rely on our services when disaster strikes.”
“As many people saw after Hurricane Katrina, an emergency plan that does not include animals can put human lives at risk,” Herlocker said. “I look forward to the opportunity to help organizations nationwide integrate this important piece into their emergency planning.”
In addition to his emergency services experience, Herlocker has extensive volunteer experience with a variety of organizations and has served in a number of leadership capacities. As EARS Program Director, Herlocker will oversee the growth and development of UAN’s emergency animal sheltering and emergency response, building on its already proven 20-year track record in this area.
With more than 3,000 EARS volunteers in the United States and Canada, EARS can respond to natural or human-caused disasters that put animals at risk and overwhelm local animal care agencies. In the fall of 2005, 435 EARS volunteers from 40 states and Canada participated in UAN’s Hurricane Katrina relief effort, caring for more than 2,100 animals at six locations in three states.
MEDIA CONTACT: Alexis Raymond, (916) 429-2457.
Now celebrating its 20th year, United Animal Nations is North America ’s leading provider of emergency animal sheltering and disaster relief services and a key advocate for the critical needs of animals.
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