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Washington State House Bill 1168: Concerning long-term forest health and the reduction of wildfire dangers

2021-05-26T18:51:47+00:00

Washington State House Bill 1168: Concerning long-term forest health and the reduction of wildfire dangers HB 1168 was delivered to Governor Jay Inslee on April 26 to sign into law. The Bill focuses on the concerning increase of forestland and rangeland wildfires. The impact of wildfires has continued to grow larger, more intense, and destructive in the last four decades throughout Washington State. It is a trend that is alarming, with no plans on decreasing unless policies are put in place to help. Wildfires have a significant impact on fish and wildlife and devastating state, federal, tribal, and private [...]

Washington State House Bill 1168: Concerning long-term forest health and the reduction of wildfire dangers2021-05-26T18:51:47+00:00

Wildfire Mitigation

2021-05-26T18:54:40+00:00

Wildfire Mitigation By Nancy Aird “WILDFIRE READY NEIGHBORS “– WA new, free community initiative program “Wildfire Ready Neighbors” is a new, free collaboration between the Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR), preparedness experts, fire districts, and landowners/ residents. Chelan, Okanogan, and Spokane counties initiated this program in April to promote preparing properties against wildfire. Renters, homeowners, and landowners in the three counties sign up at www.wildfireready.com to have a wildfire expert visit their property and develop a detailed action plan. This plan includes mitigation and preparation steps, local resources information, and contractor lists. Washington wildfires burned 812,000 acres [...]

Wildfire Mitigation2021-05-26T18:54:40+00:00

Wildfire Season Off to an Early Start: How You Can Be Better Prepared

2021-05-26T18:28:22+00:00

Wildfire Season Off to an Early Start: How You Can Be Better Prepared By Kellie Hale April showers, bring May flowers is the usual saying. However, now it seems that April fires will bring an early start to wildfire season. During the week of April 19, Washington has seen a reported 91 wildfires total. Again, that was all in one week. If we are already having wildfires in spring, then what does that mean for summer? What can we expect? “This year is already heating up,” said Commissioner of Public Lands, Hilary Franz in a Facebook post back in [...]

Wildfire Season Off to an Early Start: How You Can Be Better Prepared2021-05-26T18:28:22+00:00

May – Volcano Awareness Month in Washington State

2021-05-26T18:00:43+00:00

Governor Jay Inslee has proclaimed that beginning May 2021, it will be Volcano Awareness month. Our state has five (5) active volcanoes located in the Cascade Range east of Seattle: Mt. Baker, Glacier Peak, Mt. Rainier, Mt. Adams, and Mt. St. Helens. Each volcano, except for Mount Adams, has erupted in the last 250 years. It is important to remember that it is difficult to know precisely when or where a future eruption will occur. There are no regular intervals when it comes to volcano irruptions. For more information on volcanoes in our state: https://mil.wa.gov/volcano https://www.dnr.wa.gov/programs-and-services/geology/geologic-hazards/volcanoes-and-lahars https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/vsc/file_mngr/file-103/5-6-14%20USGS%20CVO%20NIE%20Part%201.pdf [...]

May – Volcano Awareness Month in Washington State2021-05-26T18:00:43+00:00

Jim House Interview Now on SoundCloud!

2021-05-26T17:46:32+00:00

We are excited to share our podcast interview with Jim House! Jim is the Disability Integration Manager for Coalition of Inclusive Emergency Planning at WA State Independent Living Council (WASILC). We want to thank Jim and Kim Conner, Executive Director for WASILC, for taking the time to talk with us last month and informing our readers and us about the organization and its resources. To learn more about WASILC, check out their website at: https://www.wasilc.org/

Jim House Interview Now on SoundCloud!2021-05-26T17:46:32+00:00

Functional Assessment Service Teams (FAST)

2021-04-29T20:48:59+00:00

By Nancy Aird The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was enacted on July 26, 1990. It guaranteed equal access to individuals with disabilities to state and local programs, services, programs, activities, and facilities, which included support from non-governmental organizations (NGOs), faith and community-based organizations, and private sources. FEMAs’ Whole Community preparedness approach promotes integrating people with access and functional needs (AFN) into general emergency shelters or other areas. In 2007, the California Department of Social Services created the Functional Assessment Service Team (FAST) program after Hurricane Katrina’s aftermath showed sheltering thousands of disaster victims needed pre-incident and proper coordination. FAST [...]

Functional Assessment Service Teams (FAST)2021-04-29T20:48:59+00:00

ADA Thoughts: Outlooks By Scott Preston

2021-04-29T21:24:31+00:00

By Scott Preston When I ran the UW CERT team, I would actively seek out members from the hard of hearing/deaf community and the blind community. Dana Platt, the State 9-1-1 TTY manager at that time was someone who volunteered on several occasions. The UW would pay for an interpreter to assist her and me, since I don’t speak sign language (although I am half-deaf). The value was recognized on several fronts: 1- The community in question had an active role in the UW’s emergency training for the CERT team. This is the very definition of inclusion.   2- The [...]

ADA Thoughts: Outlooks By Scott Preston2021-04-29T21:24:31+00:00

ADA Thoughts: Outlooks By Curry Mayer

2021-04-28T22:58:10+00:00

By Curry Mayer It is interesting that we, in emergency management, talk at length about helping as many people as possible in all of our programs and in all of the phases of emergency management, however, I don’t believe we have spent enough time thinking about how we reach those who are differently abled. The term that is most inclusive of those with additional needs, is people with “Access and Functional Needs”, which goes beyond what the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires. Access is about mobility, which includes the elderly and small children, and those who use mobility devices; [...]

ADA Thoughts: Outlooks By Curry Mayer2021-04-28T22:58:10+00:00

ADA Thoughts: Outlooks By Jim Mullen

2021-04-28T22:50:59+00:00

By Jim Mullen It is frustrating when the obvious is missed. The challenges a disabled citizen encounters merely trying to access entry into an office, navigating stairs and hallways are always in plain sight. Those few individuals over the course of my career with whom I worked that experienced those difficulties always seemed cheerful, resilient, and capable of overcoming obstacles in their path. They seemed to be coping, rarely seeking assistance or support. So, no problem? As an emergency management director in Seattle and the State of Washington, ADA issues were seldom raised. Government facilities were regulated by agencies that [...]

ADA Thoughts: Outlooks By Jim Mullen2021-04-28T22:50:59+00:00

Featured Interview: Jim House

2021-04-29T20:15:01+00:00

By Linda Crerar Society continues to be reminded of the importance of making emergency planning efforts inclusive of people of all ages and abilities as required by the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Rehabilitation Act. ACL. I interviewed Jim House, disability community leader working to ensure that people with disabilities are included in emergency preparedness efforts. Jim House is the Emergency Planning Disability Integration Manager working with the Coalition on Inclusive Emergency Planning (CIEP). (www.wasilc.org/coalition-on-inclusive-emergencyplanning ) CIEP is a statewide cross-disability advisory group that works with state and local emergency stakeholders to build disability accessibility and inclusion into all [...]

Featured Interview: Jim House2021-04-29T20:15:01+00:00
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