Oil Response 3

Our teams have increased to 4 vehicles and 6 members with another two vehicles and 4 members going in tomorrow. We are working diligently to assist in the relief efforts. I wish we could talk more about our work but media security is very tight. I'm hoping someday to post photos.
Any Wildlife and Bird Rescuers that want to respond, please email us. We would love it if you had the 24 hour hazwopper course but we may be able to use you even if you don't. Drivers are also needed that can handle vans and also Pickup trucks and trailers. Semi drivers are also needed.
Please understand that outside donations of Dawn dishwashing liquid are not being allowed. There is no way to guarantee that something other than Dawn isn't in the bottle so they are accepting it only from the manufacturer.
Donations to Sumter DART are being accepted and appreciated very much. We are a 501(c)3 Not for profit and your funding will go towards equipment needed to respond to disasters just like this.
Thank you very much and have a nice day.

Oil Spill Response 2

We have now placed 4 teams into the Alabama and Florida region to assist with the transportation of the affected wildlife.

Oil Spill Response

We have been called in to respond to the Oil Spill Disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. Our specialized equipment can do things that no one else can provide. We have placed one van and driver into the panhandle of Florida to act as a runner to pick up the rescued birds and wildlife and bring them into a center for stabilization. We also placed our larger Freightliner into Louisiana to be a safety net for them for a week. Our Freightliner is now at home in Florida awaiting further deployment requests. We are placing one of our trucks and trailers into the Pensacola area along with our van and driver to further assist in that region.

Working with Best Friends

Most people think you just call up and say, "Go pick up these dogs." It is not so easy. It takes a lot of planning and preparation. Just getting our rig ready can take a while. Driving 3500 miles in 5 days takes a toll on the drivers and the rig. Then when you get back home, you have to go over everything and make sure it's functioning properly.

Keep On Truckin'

Cathy Scott of Best Friends Animal Society wrote about us!

San Diego Fires

We were called on October 23rd, 2007, to ask if we could get a Command Post trailer out to San Diego for the fires. We left at 2:30 pm Tuesday and arrived at 6 am on Thursday.

Animal Hoarding

Unfortunately, most hoarders start out with great intentions but end up with a disaster of their own making. The animals wind up suffering, getting little to no attention, having to fight for their food, no vet care, and possibly dying unnoticed. All the while, the person or persons doing this really do think they are helping the critters.

More Katrina Photos

Here are some more photos from Hurricane Katrina.

Mother of All Storms

Sumter DART left Bushnell, Florida on a very hot Wednesday morning after Hurricane Katrina had destroyed the Gulf coast. We had been deployed to stage in Jackson Mississippi. We had already loaded up our gear and fueled up our trucks for the trip. We took a 2001 United Specialties Kenworth Motorhome, the logistical trailer, 2000 Dodge one ton Dually with a 44 foot enclosed gooseneck trailer, 2004 3/4 ton Dodge diesel pickup 4x4 and enough gear to help 30 people be comfortable for two weeks. The trip out was a nightmare. The first thing we did was blow a tire on the Kenworth. That cost $450.00. Then we blew two tires on the logistical trailer, only to find out that the tires were underrated for our trailer. We bought 4 stronger tires (that was all they had) and proceeded on our way. We then proceeded to work our way up through Alabama. Securing fuel for our equipment was a nightmare. When it was available, there were long lines and the prices were nearing $4.00 a gallon for diesel. We finally arrived on Thursday morning at about 4:30 AM, dead tired. We got a couple hours of sleep and were up and at it again. We started cleaning things up that had shifted during transport.

Hurricane Charley

In Hurricane Charley, we used Ronnie and Linda Graves's drag racing team's equipment to help with the rescues in Punta Gorda, Florida. We provided a trailer that became a base of operations for the Charlotte County Animal Control, and the Florida Department of Agriculture, along with another trailer that housed the rescued critters.

History of Sumter DART

After Florida suffered from drought and wildfires in 1998, we knew that bigger and better was the answer to our problems when rescuing animals. Our team had rescued over 650 animals and several people from the path of the firestorms that were raging across central Florida. Back in '98 we used pickup trucks with livestock trailers. Today we have specialized trucks and trailers to house the rescued animals and also to transport them inland or wherever they need to go. Our equipment is some of the most unique in the country.