The Development and Maintenance of Human and Animal Food Rapid Response Teams
Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA): RFA-FD-23-019
Arizona Rapid Response Team Development
Project Summary
There are 8 different objectives outlined in the FOA: RFA-FD-23-019 that the AZDA will focus
on achieving throughout the next 3 years. Key milestones are indicated for each objective. Each
year the AZDA intends to achieve target goals to bring us closer to the overarching mission of
developing a multi-agency, multi-disciplinary team that will operate utilizing Incident Command
System (ICS) and National Incident Management System (NIMS) principles and a Unified
Command structure to respond to HAF emergencies. We expect to effectively minimize the time
between agency notification of HAF incident and implementation of effective control measures.
During the next three years, the AZDA plans to develop a successful Rapid Response Team
(RRT) by identifying current capabilities, identifying RRT partners, developing relationships,
creating a structure, tracking progress and updates as well as developing improvement plans.
We will perform a capability assessment of our jurisdiction to help begin the development
process in addition to creating a sustainability plan. Both will be reviewed and updated annually
to ensure the objectives of the grant are met. In addition, the AZDA will provide the FDA with
annual reports documenting progress, updates and improvement plans. Standard Operating
Procedures will be created and act as living documents, reviewed and edited annually or more
frequently when necessary. These procedures will help lay the framework for Arizona's RRT.
Document maintenance is important to ensure the objectives of the FOA are being met by
identifying gaps and allowing the RRT partners to close those gaps.
The AZDA intends to quickly identify RRT partners to develop a strong structure. The AZDA
intends to develop a plan which will provide detailed information about the RRT development
process, key accomplishments and performance measures. During the next three-year period
there will be an emphasis on the development of a food emergency management plan based on
the RRT Best Practices Manual. In order to ensure uniformity and consistency throughout the
nation, it is important to ensure there is appropriate training and mentorship from other states
who have a fully developed Rapid Response Team. This will also help with the development of
our own food emergency management plan. Our goal is to ensure that our RRT partners are
fully trained and to plan for succession by ensuring that new members will be able to pick up
exactly where the last person left off flawlessly. Necessary training will be identified for each
partner. The structure will be built to help identify responsibilities of each position and agency. It
will be a top priority to build and maintain interagency relationships and set up quarterly
meetings. We are aware that we need to coordinate with other agencies and often rely on these
relationships to execute the goals of the FOA. It is highly important to maintain these
relationships and build working relationships within Arizona as well as with other state and
federal agencies.
The overarching goal is to protect public health by minimizing the time between agency
notification of incidents and improving incident response by implementing effective control
measures. The development of a sustainable Rapid Response Team (RRT) will allow the AZDA
to respond quickly and effectively to emergencies within the state of Arizona. Minimizing the
risks of pathogen contamination is key to preventing HAF emergencies but it is also important to
prepare to respond to emergencies effectively when they occur. As we strive to meet the goals
in each of the 8 objectives, we are confident that we will achieve the overarching goal to
successfully develop a working Rapid Response Team in Arizona. We will continue to leverage
existing expertise, knowledge and resources in our state to create a sustainable structure and
program.