About DART Command Central

DART Command Central (DARTCC) was founded to solve a problem experienced firsthand in the field: managing an emergency animal shelter with paper forms is inefficient, time-consuming, and unsustainable during a disaster.

The idea emerged from the Central Vermont Disaster Animal Response Team (CVDART), where volunteers trained to stand up emergency pet shelters on short notice. During these exercises, teams relied on stacks of paper forms—intake, medical care, feeding logs, owner instructions, and more. The process was overwhelming, duplicative, and pulled critical time away from animal care.

It became clear there had to be a better way.

What began as an effort to organize paper workflows evolved into a digital prototype, then into a structured data management system. Through two years of hands-on training, simulations, and real-world testing, that system was refined into what is now EASApp™ (Emergency Animal Shelter App) — a centralized platform designed specifically for disaster animal shelter operations.

Today, DARTCC is building a scalable, data-driven infrastructure that allows response teams to:

• Streamline shelter intake and operations

• Document all care provided to each animal

• Replace paper-based systems with centralized electronic records

• Improve coordination across teams and agencies

By reducing administrative burden, EASApp enables responders to focus on what matters most: caring for animals and supporting the communities they serve.

With early support from partners such as State Farm, DARTCC launched the initial Shelter Module and continues to expand the platform’s capabilities. The organization is now advancing development of mobile functionality and additional tools to support preparedness, response, and recovery across a wide range of disaster scenarios.

DART Command Central became a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in March 2022, positioning the organization to grow its impact through partnerships, grants, and national adoption.