Emergency Management Community 2
Emergency Management Community 2 : (1) Fire and Rescue Community 35 Local governing bodies are an integral part of the statewide system of emergency management in Washington. They are the legal entities that establish policy, enact legislation, and hold the legal authority to determine the ways public and private monies are acquired, used, and disposed of. Washington state law assigns to local elected officials the responsibility for emergency management, establishing a local program, and appointing an emergency management director. Nonetheless, local jurisdictions participating in the study report that local support for emergency management is well below what it should be. This is partly due to the lack of consistent, ongoing training and education for local officials on the scope and importance of their emergency management responsibilities. Approximately two out of every five local programs that participated in this study report lacking an effective way to communicate with their chief elected or appointed official during a disaster. Frequent turnover, limited training or education, lack of familiarity with state requirements and local ordinances, and lack of communication and interaction with the emergency management program and its delegated director leaves some local elected officials ill equipped to meet their primary responsibilities during an emergency or disaster. While emergency management training courses for elected officials have been developed jointly by the Washington State Emergency Management Association (WSEMA), the Association of Washington Cities (AWC) and the Washington State Association of Counties (WSAC), no standard approved curriculum exists. The official training that is offered is unavailable on an ongoing basis and further limited by inadequate local funds to support travel and training. (p. 20) 36 According to the Washington State Emergency Management Council's (EMC) 2004 Annual Assessment, much of the public is still largely unaware of its responsibilities when a disaster occurs. Residents tend to be confused about what assistance to expect and what may be required of them until that assistance arrives. Only 58 percent of jurisdictions participating in this study have an emergency preparedness public education program. Even fewer have a Public Information Officer. Citizen Corps is expanding public awareness and increasing the number of Washington residents trained in neighborhood preparedness. Nevertheless, much more public outreach, education, and training are still required to reach the majority of Washington's residents. (pp. 20-21) 37 In Washington, funding for local programs is complex, due to the large number of funding sources that must be managed. Furthermore, available funding may fluctuate each year, rendering the process somewhat unpredictable. Managing homeland security costs and funding add to this complexity. The majority of jurisdictions participating in this study report that available funding is inadequate to meet all of emergency management's needs. As a result, planning and response efforts are emphasized and mitigation, training, exercises, and long-term recovery efforts are compromised. Local programs rely largely upon grants and federal dollars, in addition to some state funding. The most common federal grant program is the Emergency Management Performance Grant (EMPG). However, the EMPG requires non-federal matching funds, leaving some small jurisdictions without these grant dollars altogether. Furthermore, there is a real concern that EMPG funding will be reduced nationwide in the near future. The State Emergency Management Division (EMD) is funded by an annual allocation from the State General Fund as well as a variety of state and federal grants, including EMPG funds that require non-federal matching dollars and homeland security funds. Without these multiple federal funding sources, EMD would be unable to sustain program operations or its current levels of service and support to local programs, even considering their significant restrictions governing expenditures. (1) Transportation/HAZMAT Community (2) Infrastructure Community (3) Military/National Guard (4) Resident/Tribal/NGO Community (5) Volunteer Community (6) Law Enforcement Community (7) Retail Community (8) Local Community 9) State Community (10) Federal Community (11) Medical Community (DHS, NCR First Responder Partnership Initiative, 2005, slide 6)
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