Membership Info

Get Involved! Join the HEET team and volunteer.

We always welcome new members to join our ranks. You don’t have to own or be comfortable driving a truck and trailer, as there are many ways to help! We have a minimum of 2 people on each rig in emergencies, so we can pair you with experienced members. If you aren’t comfortable in a first response capacity, we can use you in billeting (maintaining the shelter during evacuations). Horse experience isn’t required–we also need help with dispatching and tracking teams, communications, transportation, education and training, registration of large animals, clerical work, and website and social media content management. Is your skill not listed? Send us a note–we will find a spot for you!

Every job requires some amount of training to work safely and efficiently. HEET is no exception. Even though we are a volunteer group, we have high standards for our volunteers and require a certain amount of ongoing training. Why? You have likely spent years training your horse and he/she is a member of the family. In the event you needed someone else’s help to evacuate your animal, you wouldn’t want just anyone evacuating your horse in a high stress emergency environment. You would want someone with a cool head and with proper training. HEET members that are dispatched to emergencies undergo continuing training to ensure the highest quality of service and to maintain a safe environment. Our trained members are the reason we have good working relationships with CAL FIRE/SLO County Fire, the San Luis Obispo Sheriff’s Office, and the California Highway Patrol, in addition to other local agencies.

Even if you don’t feel comfortable with the actual hauling of livestock in an emergency, think about helping with other areas of HEET!

We utilize two-way radio communications (including HAM radio) to coordinate our operations. We welcome any willing hams to train with us and to join our nets. Amateur radio fills an important role in supplemental communications during disasters and when cellular phone systems do not operate. All trailer teams dispatched to any type of emergency must have a radio operator and a mobile (vehicle mount radio). HEET works with local radio clubs such as the Estero Radio Club, the Paso Robles Amateur Radio Club, and the Cal Poly Amateur Radio Club to ensure that trailer teams have communications. We rely on the SLO County Emergency Communications Council (SLOECC) and the repeaters they generously support.

You can download the application to join HEET here. You can fill it out online and follow the instructions included within to save it to your computer. Once you have saved it, you can email your application to our HEET team at: info@sloheet.net and pay your dues through our Paypal Donations Account. You do not need to have a Paypal account to use this option, you may use your credit card without creating a PayPal account. If you prefer not using digital payment methods, you may mail in your application with a check to:

HEET
P.O. Box 2473
Nipomo, CA 93444

Please don’t hesitate to call or email if you have any questions. Thank you for considering joining HEET.