Emergency Management

Disasters are major events that can strike anywhere and at any time. In a disaster, traditional 9-1-1 and First Responder capabilities such as fire, police, medics, and utility personnel will be overwhelmed and unable to immediately assist individuals.

Mission and Goals

The Mission of the Emergency Management program is to minimize the effect of disasters in Bellingham. Specific program goals:

Improve preparedness for, coordination during, and recovery from disasters through development of public/private partnerships.
Ensure the operational readiness of city government to effectively manage disaster events. Every city department plays a role in a major emergency.

Program Activities

Activity	Description
Communications Interoperability	Work to support communications interoperability so that all emergency responders in Whatcom County can communicate in the event of a disaster.
Disaster training and exercise participation	Participate in and/or lead training drills and exercises each year, with participation from city departments and other community partners. Organize training to City departments to improve readiness and awareness. An in-house incident management team is in place and over 500 City employees have participated in training prescribed by the National Incident Management System. Participated in the prestigious Integrated Emergency Management Course in the Washington, D.C. area in summer of 2008.
Emergency Operations Planning	Provide ongoing updates and maintenance of City Emergency Operations plan.
Neighborhood Preparedness	Support disaster preparations for individuals and families via the Map Your Neighborhood program.
Pandemic Flu Preparations	Updated city policies have been to facilitate purchasing and staffing in the event of a Pandemic Flu outbreak. Serve as part of the Unified Command structure for the Whatcom County Pandemic Preparedness Plan.
Preparation for 2010 Olympics	Maintain active partnership with State and regional organizations to prepare plans and facilities for this upcoming event.
Public/Private Partnerships	Through a Local Emergency Planning Committee (provide link to page) help enable cooperative efforts between local agencies on a number of preparedness and response initiatives. Participate in the development of a local Community Organizations Active in Disaster (COAD) chapter to harness the involvement of volunteer and faith-based organizations during a disaster. Collaborate with Western Washington University’s Disaster Reduction and Emergency Planning undergraduate degree program. Support Bellingham Food Bank expansion to provide building improvements for distribution of food and supplies during a disaster.
Regional Incident Management Team Participation	Participate in the Northwest Incident Management Team designed to support regional incident management needs. See the Northwest Incident Management Team for more information about this important regional resource.