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The Essential Animal Services Team is made up of 35 professional animal welfare and public safety professionals from throughout the U.S., and ten highly trained team leaders. These primary responders have been selected and asked to join the EAST due to their high level of training, much of which has been provided through Code 3. Each person is actively engaged in animal welfare/public safety and has demonstrated a high level of expertise and ability in search and rescue and animal handling skills. Some are even qualified instructors in various Code 3 academies and classes.

Each member of EAST is a volunteer who has willingly offerred to give of his or her time in answering the call of animals in disaster and emergency situations. Becoming a member of the EAST is a singular honor in that they are the "Best of the Best" in their field and have earned their stripes through years of hard work and training in their operational field.

Although Code 3 utilizes many volunteers, most of them local to the disaster areas, for general and administrative duties, these elite rescue responders can be called upon due to their specific specialities and training. Some are wild land fire specialists, some have extensive swiftwater and flood area training, still others are experts in ice and slack water rescue, as well as those with low-angle rope and mountain rescue experience.