Volunteering with Code 3 Associates' Riders on the Storm animal rescue team is a unique and rewarding experience. Our Animal Rescue Team members are selected for their advanced level of training, their professional integrity, their animal handling skills and their expertise in search and rescue.

Field Response Volunteers
Our field responders have specialized animal handling skills as well as cross-training in areas of wildland fire, swift water and floodwater rescue, high and low angle rope extraction, confined space rescue and compromised structure rescue.

Administrative Volunteers
Our administrative team is made up of seasoned disaster volunteers who support the field teams, operate staging areas, assist with animal intake paperwork, transport animals to emergency shelters or veterinary services and interact with the local authorities and community.

Training Requirements
Those with animal control backgrounds should gain training which focuses on SAR technical requirements such as swift water, rope work and mechanical advantage, wildland fire and confined space rescue.

Those with public safety backgrounds, who have had some level of training in SAR/Emergency procedures, should obtain training with more of a focus on incorporating animal handling skills into their skill base.

• Certifications Required by FEMA
• • IS – 100 Intro to Incident Command
• • IS – 200 Basic Incident Command
• • IS – 800 National Response Framework

• FEMA Recommended Certifications
• • IS – 10 Animals in Disaster, Awareness and Preparedness
• • IS – 11 Animals in Disasters, Community Planning
• • IS – 111 Livestock in Disasters
• • IS – 05 Hazmat Awareness

• Specialized Training For Field Responders should include, but not be limited to, the following
• • Technical Animal Rescue Specialist
• • Swift Water Rescue Technician
• • Large and/or Small Animal Rescue/Behavior
• • Biosecurity and Zoonoses
• • Wildland Fire
• • Confined Space and Compromised Structure Rescue
• • Basic Animal Sheltering Environment
• • Hazmat
• • Rope Rescue

• Additional Volunteer Opportunities
• • Truck and Equipment Upkeep and/or Maintenance - Help us keep BART and our equipment clean and organized so it is ready to go when needed.
• • Administrative - Help with the many tasks related to running a successful national nonprofit .
• • Educational Programs - Assist in organizing and promoting the classes, seminars, and outreach programs we offer
• • Outreach - Assist with organizing and running fundraising events in support of our programs.
• • Public Relations - Provide information to individuals and groups about Code 3 Associates

People who are accepted as volunteers will be chosen through an application process with approval by Code 3 staff. For volunteer safety and Code 3 Associates liability issues, senior staff reserves the right to evaluate all volunteer applications. Volunteers may be excluded from consideration without prejudice for unverifiable training, lack of technical experience or refusal to adhere to a professional code of conduct.

Volunteers are responsible for the cost of their own training, continued training and personal protective equipment (PPE).

If you are interested in volunteering with Code 3 please contact us to request a volunteer application.