Emergency Preparedness and Response
Who We Are
State Veterinarian: Dr. Ryan Wolker
(602) 542-4293
Assistant State Veterinarian / Emergency Coordinator: Dr. Suzette dePersio
(602) 329-8377
Assistant State Veterinarian: Dr. David Byerly
(602) 708-0932
Emergency Preparedness Planner IV: Dwayne C. Uhlig, MSEM
(602) 620-8810
Animal Health Technician: Cyndi Hilgen
(602) 980-2352
Mission
The Arizona Department of Agriculture (AZDA) emergency response team’s mission is to mitigate, prepare for, respond to, and recover from natural or man-made disasters, and disease outbreaks that affect the Arizona agricultural community.
Emergency Support Function Responsibilities
Emergency Support Functions (ESFs) provide the structure for coordinating interagency support for a state response to an emergency. The Arizona Department of Emergency and Military Affairs (DEMA) tasks the AZDA to be the primary agency for ESF 11 – Agriculture and Natural Resources. Therefore, the AZDA stands ready to assist in coordinating the mitigation, planning, response, and recovery for agriculture and natural resources during all-hazard emergencies.