Our Team
EERU’s all volunteer staff provides professional large
animal emergency rescue and training.
Emergency Equine Response Unit is a volunteer large animal response team based in KS and MO. The team is led by Eric Thompson; Eric and the animal search and rescue volunteers are trained in technical large animal rescue.
Operations Manager and Training Officer
Eric Thompson, Emergency Equine Response Unit’s founder, is a graduate of Kansas University with a B.G.S. in Environmental Science and graduated the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center with his Police commission. Currently Eric is working as the national Director of Disaster Response for Code 3 Associates; and serves as the Chair-Elect for the National Animal Rescue and Sheltering Coalition (NARSC). Eric also teaches and provides technical large animal rescue operations for the Emergency Equine Response Unit (EERU) based in Kansas City.
Eric is certified as a Swiftwater and Technical Rope Rescue Technician and also in water, mud, rock, ice, fire and trailer rescues of animals. Eric has received over 25 certificates of achievement from FEMA in regards to disaster response and planning; and is working with several States as a disaster planning consultant by incorporating animal-related operations into existing Emergency Support Functions. Eric also instructs technical small animal search and rescue classes that meet new NFPA 1670 guidelines for Fire departments and first responders.
For disaster response information visit www.code3associates.org To contact Eric for consulting or instructing request please feel free to him.
Instructors
Angela is certified in TLAER, swiftwater rescue technician, technical ice rescue, technical rope rescue, mud and trailer rescues. She is also a professional animal handler and shelter lead for emergency sheltering. She has received over 25 FEMA certificates of achievement in disaster planning and wildland fire awareness; her training meets the current NFPA 1670 guide lines for animal search and rescue.
Matthew R. Kuestersteffen is a Telecommunication Systems Technician living in Wichita, KS with his wife of 25 years, Alaine, and K9 partners Foxy and Reba. The four years Matt spent in the Air Force as a Law Enforcement Specialist began his interest in community volunteering, where he learned skills that continue to aid in search management.
He’s been involved in K9 Search and Rescue since 2002, and is an active Human Remains Detection (HRD) dog handler since 2008. He is currently a team officer with Sedgwick County Emergency Management K9 (SCEMK9), and is training with K9 Reba in HRD. He is a member of the North American Search Dog Network (NASDN), instructing handlers and their K9 partners in Human Remains Detection (HRD) techniques. Matt has been a member of Sedgwick County Animal Response Team (SCART) since 2007 and is currently the President of the Board of Directors and Operations Officer.
