Missoula presenters urge livestock owners to plan evacuations, use Smart911 and MSU Extension worksheet

Natalie Sullivan, MSU Extension agent for Missoula County covering agriculture, equine and livestock, and Nick Holloway, deputy DES coordinator at the Missoula County Office of Emergency Management, told a community audience that livestock owners should prepare evacuation and shelter-in-place plans, assemble animal emergency kits and register safety information with Smart911.

Sullivan, who described the MSU Extension five-page farm emergency-preparedness worksheet and a related Missoula County web resource, said the worksheet is intended to help owners communicate details about gates, feed, water and animal identification to neighbors or responders if the owner is absent. "One of the more exciting things I've found out about these worksheets is they do have the potential to give you insurance premium discount," Sullivan said, citing conversations with multiple insurance agencies. She walked through the worksheet pages — likely emergencies, contact lists and GPS coordinates; alternative water sources; locations of generators and hazardous storage; and a farm map showing shutoffs and tanks.

The presentation stressed risks most relevant to Missoula County: wildfires, flooding, severe storms, extended power outages and disease outbreaks. "A 1,200‑pound horse or cow drinks up to 12 to 14 gallons of water per day," Sullivan said, underscoring the water logistics owners should plan for. She also urged owners to develop "buddy farms" and at least two alternate destinations so animals are not concentrated at a single shelter location.

Holloway described Smart911 — Missoula County's emergency alert and safety‑profile system — and urged residents to sign up and keep their profiles current. "When you ... make an emergency call to 911, then your safety profile will pop up on a dispatcher's monitor and [show] how many animals you have or drug allergies ... that will rise to the top," Holloway said. He noted there is no charge for Smart911 and that inbound safety profiles can include gate codes, photos and animal details that help triage responders.

Both speakers emphasized limits on county capacity for large‑animal sheltering. Holloway said human life safety is the county's top priority and that county resources for livestock rescue and sheltering are limited, including finite space at the fairgrounds and a need to keep animals separated. "Human life safety is always our number 1 priority," he said, and owners should have arrangements for trailers, feed and daily care if animals relocate.

Practical steps highlighted: register for Smart911 (and update the profile every six months), complete and share the MSU Extension preparedness worksheet (the presenters suggested saving photos of the worksheet on a phone and uploading it to Smart911), identify multiple evacuation routes and alternate destinations, practice loading animals into trailers, prepare a livestock evacuation kit with feed, water, medications and identification, and maintain relationship networks with neighbors and "buddy farms." Sullivan also noted local and national resources available on the Missoula County Extension website, and previewed three community events in June 2025 to help owners work through plans.

The presentation included local examples: Sullivan said her farm lost power for two weeks during a July 2024 windstorm and Holloway recounted responses to recent regional fires that show wildfire season is expanding beyond traditional months. Both speakers framed planning as a low‑cost, high‑value activity: "Planning is everything," Holloway said, arguing that the act of planning builds connections and situational understanding even when plans change during an incident.

For owners who want the resources mentioned in the presentation, Sullivan pointed attendees to the Missoula County Extension website (as provided during the talk) and to the free MSU Extension farm emergency‑preparedness worksheet; Holloway encouraged sign‑up at Smart911 and routine profile upkeep. The presenters did not propose or adopt any formal county policy or ordinance at the session.