Development of Field Stabilization Program to Enhance Survival of Seabirds During Oil Spill Response

When oil spill events are extensive, impact large biologically significant areas or occur in isolated locations, the time between capture and administration of medical care to seabirds can be delayed by several hours. The main factors are long transportation times and limited ability to admit and process hundreds of birds simultaneously at a primary care center. Almost all recovered oiled birds are in a state of shock resulting from exhaustion, hypothermia, and dehydration. Early treatment of shock is essential to prevent irreversible damage to organ systems. The goal of developing a Field Stabilization (FS) program is to provide this care as quickly as possible after capture. Key elements include thermal support, fluid therapy and addressing immediately life-threatening conditions. The ultimate goal is to increase survival. A secondary benefit is the ability to organize the arrival of birds to primary care centers to avoid overwhelming the limited resources of space and personnel. To meet these goals FS programs must be mobile and adjustable. A modular design allows personnel, equipment and shelter to be moved to sites where birds are being recovered. If a spill impacts an extensive geographic area, multiple FS sites may be required and the locations may need to change overtime as the oil moves in the environment.

Within the Oiled Wildlife Care Network, Field Stabilization generally consists of three components:

1. 1)

   Basic First Aid provided at the site where birds are captured.

2. 2)

   Thermal support during transportation.

3. 3)

   More comprehensive nursing care provided at FS Site. FS Sites can consist of “brick & mortar” buildings, specialized trailers, or other purpose-adapted shelters located near capture sites.

In large spills, Step 1 is typically provided by wildlife recovery unit personnel, Step 2 conducted by transportation unit personnel and Step 3 performed by FS personnel. In cases where transport time is expected to be < 2 hours, animals may be directly transported to a primary care center. Thus separate FS Sites may not be activated for every response. Factors such as distance from a primary care center, remoteness of field collection sites, product spilled, and condition of collected animals will determine the need. The deployment of FS Sites is ultimately approved within the command structure.

This FS program is designed to be modular. Each site can handle a maximum of 160 birds per day. FS Sites are established or shut down as needed in response to changes in caseload or geographic locations where oiled wildlife are being recovered. See  Appendix A: “Recommended Tiered Level Response for Personnel & Equipment for Field Stabilization”. While this document was written for use in California, if the staff titles are generalized, it can serve as a template to determine personnel and equipment needs anywhere in the world.

Each FS site requires 4–10 personnel depending on expected caseload. Due to the level of nursing care provided, FS staff must be experienced in handling, banding and assessing oiled birds; performing physical examinations; administering thermal, hydration and nutritional support (i.e. gavage feeding); providing immediate first-aid treatments; and completing all data sheets, census forms, medical records and chain of custody documents. A FS Group Supervisor (FSGS) who is an experienced oiled wildlife rehabilitator is needed to manage the global FS response. Each individual FS site is managed by a Strike Team Leader (STL) who reports to the FSGS. STLs provide oversight of personnel, supplies and care provided to birds. The STL is responsible for communicating intakes, transportation/supply needs and personnel requirements to the FSGS. The FSGS is responsible for communications with command staff.

Wildlife Recovery Staff: In addition to the primary focus of training to safely capture and recover oiled birds, wildlife recovery staff also receives Basic First Aid instruction which includes a lecture and hands-on lab to practice providing basic thermal support, removing oil from the nares, eyes and mouth, and, when needed, stopping bleeding or placing simple body wraps to prevent further injury if fractures or large lacerations are present. Chemical hand warmers are placed inside of socks and positioned next to cold birds in carriers to provide heat during transport. The hand warmers are placed inside socks to prevent thermal burns. Athletic or hospital type socks are used because the tops are long enough to be tied into a knot which prevents the hand warmer from slipping out.

Field Stabilization Staff receive the following didactic instruction: Overview of oil spill response, effects of oil on wildlife, field stabilization, working within a command structure and safety training. In addition, an 8 hour hands-on lab is used to familiarize FS staff with paperwork, organizational schemes, and techniques needed to provide efficient and consistent stabilization care for large numbers of oiled birds in a space and resource restricted environment. FS Strike Team Leaders receive additional training that includes: extended experience working within a command structure, 24 hour HAZWOPER (Hazardous Waster Operations and Emergency Response), personnel management, and more advanced medical care (e.g. fluid therapy, wound care, expanded knowledge of pharmaceuticals, stabilization techniques, data collection, etc.). Please see the  appendices for examples of forms and protocols used at FS Sites.

FS Sites must at a minimum provide security from the public, access to restroom facilities for personnel, shelter from the elements, adequate storage for equipment, at least one examination table with a light source, examination equipment (towels, scale, thermometer, stethoscope, etc.), appropriate holding area and containers for seabirds, heat sources to warm birds, and equipment to administer warmed fluids to birds. In addition, the site can be stocked with supplies as needed to provide further medical attention such as eye flush, wound care, antibiotics, or equipment needed to draw blood and run simple diagnostic tests.

In order to enhance speed of response, OWCN has organized its FS supplies into containers that have all the equipment needed to provide basic FS care to 100 birds. In total, we maintain enough supplies for immediate deployment to provide care for 800 birds without needing to order new equipment. We estimate this equipment should last at least 2 days during a large spill. Any of these supply caches can be stored in one to several locations and shipped to where they are needed. Examples of the supply lists are in the  Appendix and can be used as templates to formulate supply lists for other regions of the world. In order to facilitate replacement of supplies, we have developed two inventory/supply order lists. One check-list is for non-disposable equipment that will only need to be replaced during a spill due to breakage. The second is more extensive. It includes disposable equipment that will need to be replaced daily to every few days depending on the magnitude of the spill. These supply lists can be used as templates for other organization to build their own supply caches.

Many commercially available trailers and tents, or suitable local buildings can be modified to function as FS sites. One of the most important requirements for a FS site is sufficient electrical capacity (shoreline or generator) to run heating pads, examination lights and heating elements to warm fluids (hot pots, microwave, incubator, etc.). If no electricity is available, chemical based heating pads, battery powered light sources, and pre-heated fluids stored in Thermoses can be used instead. If no running water is available, at least 40 gallons of potable water should be available per day for providing fluids and cleaning needs. If access to an appropriate sewer is not available, wastewater storage containers and disposal will be required.

OWCN has two trailers that can provide examples of how standard commercial trailers can be set up for FS.

• One trailer is a specially modified 24’ X 8’ trailer called the MASH: Mobile Avian Stabilization Hospital. In addition to an exam table and storage/sink area, it has holding capacity for 84 medium sized sea birds housed in plastic cat carriers. There are three high capacity ceiling fans and an environmental control unit that provide excellent ventilation and climate control. The back of the trailer is equipped with a full width drop down door that can act as another entrance. A specially designed screen can be placed to prevent bird escapes while allowing additional ventilation. Please see diagrams and photos.

• The second trailer (aka: Rat Rig) is a standard camping trailer that has been modified so that the “kitchen area” provides a sink and office space, while the back provides room for an exam table and storage. This trailer has limited animal holding space. This need can be met by setting up near a building, tent, or other empty trailer that can be adapted to purpose.

• With the addition of tables or shelves to hold animal carriers, the same equipment list used to stock the MASH (See  Appendix) can be used to stock any other structure that needs to be adapted for Field Stabilization.

The facilities of local wildlife rehabilitators can also be adapted to function as FS Sites. The staff of the wildlife response commander can approach facilities located at strategic locations within the oil impacted area to investigate what additional resources and organizational support they would need to morph into a “bricks & mortar” FS Site within a 12-48 hour period. If pre-existing forms, protocols and organization materials are selected by the wildlife response command to be used during the spill response, it is important to consult with the facility’s management to see if any adjustments are needed to enhance their use within existing work patterns. Local personnel should be encouraged to provide feedback and it is important to put a mechanism in place to enact viable suggested changes. This small, but significant step not only fosters buy-in by local personnel, but also enhances the efficiency of the operation by making it adaptable. In addition, even when it results in a few hours delay in sending animals to a new facility, it is prudent to take time to provide basic training to familiarize the facility’s regular management, staff and volunteers with safety information and any new protocols or forms before oiled animals arrive.

The goal for the Field Stabilization Group is to have enough trained FS staff and FS Strike Team Leaders to be able to respond to a large spill in our region. Our modular design allows us to develop personnel and equipment needs based on units of 160 birds (one trailer/tent/shelter, 9 FS staff, 1 FS Strike Team Leader, two boxes equipment for 100 oiled birds each). Therefore for any section of coastline, we can estimate the likely number of oiled birds that would be recovered and deploy the appropriate number of FS sites and associated resources. Since staff should be working reasonable hours /day and not all trained personnel will be available, we train and maintain 2-3X the number of personnel we estimate we will need. In California, we have planned for a maximum of 640 oiled birds per day. This would require four FS Sites, manned by 36 FS staff and 4 FS Strike Team Leaders per shift, so a core base of 80 – 120 trained FS responders. This goal was achieved within a year of commencing FS training opportunities. Two trailers are available for immediate deployment that are pre-stocked to handle 160 birds each. In the case of a large spill, these would need to be supplemented with two tent or “brick & mortar” sites. OWCN maintains supplies for another 400 birds at a central location that can be used to stock these sites. Small stores of additional supplies are available at strategically located wildlife rehabilitators along the California coastline.

Providing oiled seabirds with supportive care earlier in the rescue process increases survivability by reducing morbidity associated with prolonged hypothermia, dehydration and shock. A modular design allows a Field Stabilization response to be flexible, scalable and thus achievable.

This table is to tie used as a general guide for FS resource needs during the initial response prior to development of an Incident Action Plan. This table has been developed based on experience from past spills but is based primarily on expected wildlife casualties as outlined for each tier level. This table represents dedicated equipment to be provided by OSPR and OWCN. Staffing will be provided by OSPR, OWCN and other natural resource trustee agencies. OSPR and OWCN will work in conjunction with other trustees and land managers to decide levels of response, resources needed, and resources available. Wildlife Operations resources will be tailored specifically to meet the needs of each incident. NOTE: For incidents where marine mammals are affected, those categories indicated by a * would double in number to account for activation of additional personnel and equipment so separate efforts can be devoted to birds and mammals.

Levels are based on the following assumptions:

• Average time M2 and administer supportive care for oiled bird: 6 minutes -> 10 birds/hour.

• Average time for 2 FS Staff (1 examiner, 1 restrainer) to admit, evaluate, administer supportive care for oiled bird: 6 minutes -> birds per hour.

• After 2 hours of receiving 10 birds per hour a team of 4 staff will reach capacity, so either transportation of birds will need to occur every 2 hours or FS Staff numbers will need to be increased (2 staff for each additional increase of 5 birds per hour).

• The wildlife stabilization trailer (MASII) has a capacity for 2 intake examination tables and therefore a total capacity of 160 birds per day when staffed with 8-9 personnel (1 FSGS, 7-8 FS Staff) assuming transport of birds can occur every 2 hours. The capacity will be proportionately less if transportation is less frequent

Incidents where Wildlife Operations projections acfijfet are for dozens of marine birds or mammals impacted

One Field Stabilization Center – Either remote (trailer) or local (center)

Staff

Field Stabilization Group Supervisor (OWCN) (1)*

Field Stabilization Staff (OWCN) (1–4)*

Transportation staff to move ~20 live and dead birds every 2–4 hours (1–2)*

Equipment

If remote: Trailer, Field Stabilization + Vehicle, One-ton truck (OWCN) (1)*

If local: Center, Field Stabilization (OWCN Member Organization) (1)*

Vehicle, Wildlife Transport (1–2)*: to move ~ 20 live and dead birds every 2–4 hours

Incidents where Wildlife Operations projections are for up to low hundreds of marine birds (Level II) or up to high hundreds to low thousands of marine birds

All of the resources shown in Level I plus:

• One Field Stabilization Center for every 100-160 birds received per day

Staff (Management)

• Transportation Coordinator, Field Stabilization (OWCN)(1)

• Wildlife Veterinarian (OWCN) (1)*

• Staff (Per Field Stabilization Center)

• Field Stabilization Strike Team Leader (OWCN) (1)*

• Field Stabilization Unit Staff (OWCN) (2–10)*

• Transportation staff to move ~20–40 birds every 2 hours (2–4)*

• Transportation volunteer to move dead birds (1)* four times daily

Equipment

• Additional Field Stabilization Centers per 100 – 160 birds

  • Trailer, Field Stabilization (1) + Vehicle, One-ton truck (OWCN) (If remote and not activated for Level I) (1)

  • Trailer, 2^nd Field Stabilization + Vehicle, One-ton truck (OWCN)(1)

  • Center, Field Stabilization (OWCN Member Organization),

  • Western shelter or other tent

  • Rent space in appropriate building

• Vehicle - Wildlife transport (OWCN) (2–4)* to move ~20–40 birds every 2 hours

  • Numbers of transport vehicles will increase by 2–4 per activated center

• Vehicle — large van - Wildlife transport (OSPR OWCN) to move dead birds (1)* four times daily