An integrative review of the 2017 Port Hill fires' impact on animals, their owners and first responders' encounters with the human-animal interface.

Animal welfare emergency management is a critical component of modern emergency management, because the powerful bond between people and animals influences decisions and actions taken during emergency events. High risk behaviour and poor decision-making can negatively affect evacuation compliance, observance of cordons, the safety of frontline responders and the psychosocial recovery of responders and animal owners. This paper reviews documents, including official reports, peer-reviewed journal articles and media reports, concerning the impacts of the 2017 Port Hill Fires on animals, with the aim of providing direction for future research and identifying other information needs. Key themes were identified, including evacuation, cordons, animal rescue, communication and co-ordination. The implications of these for emergency management practice are discussed, including recommendations to: consider animals across all phases of wildfire management; enhance emergency responders' understandings of animal owners' emotional drivers; develop a national animal loss database; include animal ownership in relevant public education; animal evacuation logistics, and; develop relevant wildfire response strategy.leverage the humananimal bond as a motivator for mitigation and emergency preparedness; more carefully consider [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]