Working Animal Readiness and Response Training

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION NUMBER 70RWMD26RFIP00006   Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Office of Health Security   NOTE: THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) ONLY. This RFI is issued solely for information and market research planning purposes. This RFI shall not be construed as an obligation on the part of the Government. This is NOT a Request for Quotations or Proposals. The Government may or may not issue a formal solicitation as a result of the responses received to this RFI.  The Government will not pay for any response or demonstration expenses. All costs incurred responding to this RFI will be solely at the interested party's expense. Failure to respond to this RFI will not preclude participation in any future solicitation. Any information received will become the property of the Government and will not be returned to the submitter. Interested parties are responsible for adequately marking proprietary or sensitive information.  The Government’s explicit intent, in this request for information, is to not receive from respondents any proprietary data, trade secrets, business sensitive information, or information considered CONFIDENTIAL under 18 U.S.C. §1905. The Government’s constraint does not in any way relieve contractors from their responsibility to properly mark proprietary data when it is provided, nor does it alleviate any requirement for the Government to protect marked data. The Government is not obligated to protect unmarked data.  The information provided in this RFI is subject to change and is not binding on the Government. All submissions become the property of the Federal Government and will not be returned.  DESCRIPTION   The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of Health Security (OHS) is conducting market research to inform the acquisition strategy and technical requirements for a planned Working Animal Readiness & Response (WARR) Training requirement. This effort will provide standardized, high‑quality working animal first aid and advanced medical response training for DHS personnel who handle, ride, or provide emergency medical support to working canines and equines. DHS Components rely extensively on working canines and equines to execute critical homeland security missions, including law enforcement, border security, screening, search and rescue, and special events support. These working animals operate in austere, high‑risk, and dynamic environments where immediate access to licensed veterinary care may be limited or delayed. DHS seeks industry feedback on training approaches that would enable canine handlers, equine riders, and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) providers to recognize and manage common medical emergencies involving working canines and equines, perform immediate life‑saving interventions, and safely stabilize and transport injured animals until veterinary care is available. OHS, led by the DHS Chief Medical Officer, is the principal medical, workforce health and safety, and public health authority for DHS. OHS’s Total Workforce Protection Directorate (TWPD), through the Health and Medical Readiness Division (HMRD), is responsible for establishing and overseeing medical readiness programs, policies, and standardized training that support a mission‑ready DHS workforce, including working animals. Within OHS’s Healthcare Systems and Oversight Directorate (HCSOD), the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Division provides medical oversight, technical guidance, and operational support for DHS EMS programs and prehospital care activities. TWPD/HMRD will serve as the managing office for the WARR Training requirement, with HCSOD/EMS providing clinical and EMS‑related input. For planning purposes only, the WARR Training requirement is expected to support working animal programs across multiple DHS Components including U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Border Patrol, Transportation Security Administration, Federal Protective Service, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Secret Service, and others. DHS currently anticipates an estimated service population of approximately 3,000 working canines and 350 working horses and a potential annual training requirement scale, for planning purposes only, is approximately 40 to 50 canine‑focused courses per year (approximately 500 canine‑related training seats per year) and up to 10 equine‑focused courses per year (approximately 100 equine‑related training seats per year). These figures are not a minimum or maximum ordering guarantee but provided as an approximation of the expected magnitude to assist potential vendors in assessing capability and capacity.   RFI PURPOSE   The purpose of this RFI is to:  Inform industry of DHS Working Animal Readiness and Response Training requirements, needs and objectives;   Understand the extent of industry capability to deliver training tailored to DHS’s uniqu