2023 Emergency Management Community Report

Pierce County Department of Emergency Management (PCDEM) is a nationally recognized and award-winning department charged with preparing and protecting the people that choose to live in a place they are proud to call home. It is one of the first county emergency management departments in Washington to be accredited through the rigorous Emergency Management Accreditation Program (EMAP). PCDEM uses a business process that is data-driven, evidenced based, leverages integrated systems and emphasizes a culture of continuous innovation and a passion for customer service.

Our Mission

Create resilient communities and enhance public safety by empowering the whole community in Pierce County to prevent, mitigate, prepare for, respond to, and recover from all types of hazards, emergencies and disasters.

Message from the Director

We all see it and feel it – disasters are more frequent, more intense, more expensive, and last longer. According to Forbes magazine, the United States was hit with more billion-dollar disasters in 2023 than any other year on record. Pierce County may not have experienced a billiondollar disaster, but 2023 was certainly a busy year for Pierce County’s Department of Emergency Management (PCDEM). PCDEM and many regional partners worked together to keep residents and visitors safe.

The many projects, incidents, and events in 2023 included the completion of critical emergency radio communications projects to keep first responders safe, leading a group of community partners at a FEMA training focused on Mount Rainier hazards, and the introduction of the first Safety Summit in the county for educators, law enforcement and public safety professionals. PCDEM also debuted a new, award-winning, fire inspection process for food trucks and helped more communities prepare for emergencies through outreach events in parks, libraries, schools, and even people’s homes.

Our changing climate is often identified as the culprit in the increase of disasters, and we experienced our share of weather-caused events. Washington Task Force 1 (WATF1), sponsored by PCDEM, was deployed to Maui, Hawaii to assist with wildfire response. At home, the team activated the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) to manage both hot and cold weather extremes to protect our most vulnerable residents.

The longest and most complex activation last year was for three months during the Pierce County Superior Court high-profile trial. More than 50 partner agencies came together to ensure safety, justice and transparency were achieved for the community at the trial’s conclusion. PCDEM was proud to work with all involved, especially Pierce County Superior Court.

I am proud of the partnerships that exist in our emergency management community and work every day – often unseen – to keep the residents of Pierce County safe. PCDEM looks forward to continuing that work in 2024.

Jody Ferguson

2023

ACTIVATIONS

In 2023, Pierce County Emergency Management’s Emergency Operation Center was activated 12 times.

Day Island + Key Peninsula Flooding

Dec. 2022 - Jan. 2023

Between Christmas and New Year’s Eve 2022, unusual king tides caused extensive damage to some coastal areas including Day Island and Key Peninsula. Businesses and homes were damaged by the waves that came on shore powered by very low air pressure and previously forecast higher-than-normal tides.

Pierce County Department of Emergency Management’s role was helping people recover from the damaging waves. Some of the assistance was direct such as buying mattresses and appliances. Other assistance included helping property owners navigate the pilot state program and maintain regular communication with them. In total, more than $150,000 was provided to residents.

“Every single person I worked with at the Department of Emergency Management were professional but also kind. They made us feel personally cared for,” said Jacquie Witherrite, an impacted property owner.

Winthrop Apartment Fire

April 2023

In April, an electric fire at the Winthrop Apartment Complex in Tacoma resulted in more 200 people unable to stay until the city approve the building being occupied. PCDEM activated the EOC to support the City of Tacoma duty officer who was requesting support and resources for sheltering operations. PCDEM provided a liaison to the incident location to improve information flow, coordinated eight resource requests, and utilized PCDEM shuttle buses and staff to help residents travel from their temporary accommodations to shower facilities over the course of three days.

Wildfires

Summer 2023

Dry conditions in spring and summer led to several wildfires in rural and urban areas of the county. Pierce County Emergency Management started sending a liaison to field Incident Command posts to help relay updates, information and resource requests from incident commanders. This effort started with the July 13 fire near McKenna when South Pierce Fire and Rescue requested a PCALERT for evacuation be sent to residents. In addition to threatening nearby properties, the fire also put high tension power lines operated by Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) at risk.

Since an evacuation notice was in effect, PCDEM also initiated a mass care response and worked with a local property owner to provide space for people to temporarily stay. They could also bring pets and livestock to the site.

The fire was put out by the combined effort of on-the-ground firefighters and helicopters dropping water on the slow-moving fire.

A second fire, a week later to the day, occurred a few miles from the first

and resulted in a similar response effort and voluntary evacuation from around the fire. PCDEM sent a PCALERT and followed with social media. Residents near the fire expressed thanks for the regular information and even added video of helicopters drawing water from a small lake to drop on the fire.

Urban wildfires were also an issue. During a hot and very dry August, the National Weather Service issued a High Heat Warning on the August 14. A Red Flag Warning was issued on August 16 – meaning fire danger was very high because of the high heat and very low humidity. PCDEM activated a second duty officer to monitor Red Flag related issues –especially fires.

PCDEM was already working with partners to establish cooling centers during the day when West Pierce Fire and Rescue requested a PCALERT for evacuations near Fort Steilacoom Park. A fire had started in the park and had the potential to quickly spread from a wooded area in the park to nearby homes.

In addition to the PCALERT, PCDEM had a liaison on scene to help manage resource requests from the incident commanders to the Emergency Operations Center. This fire also pulled in several partners in addition to West Pierce Fire and Rescue and Lakewood Police Department acting as incident commanders and primary response agencies. Tacoma Public Utilities was able to turn power off near the scene of the fire to reduce risk to firefighters while maintaining power to essential facilities and emergency shelters. Pierce County Parks staff were also on scene to guide firefighters and unlock access gates to parts of the park.

WA-TF1

August 2023

On August 8, deadly wildfires in Hawaii burned down most of the historic town of Lahaina. Two days later, Washington Task Force 1 (WA-TF1) was deployed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The initial team of 45 people, search and rescue K-9s and human remains K-9s were bolstered with another 30 members a few days later. Also, 90,000 pounds of equipment were sent along with the team so they were self-sufficient in the field.

During the team’s two-week deployment their focus was searching for survivors and victims. WA-TF 1 members worked 12 hours days in intense heat, debris and ash to help the community recover from the worst fire in modern American history. A welcome delegation of elected officials, agency leaders and media were at the airport to welcome the team home on August 26.

Extreme Weather Response

Winter and Summer 2023

PCDEM is a leader in the county during extreme weather events - coordinating operations with partners to prepare for extreme hot or cold temperatures. Extreme weather incidents across the county included hot temperatures in August that resulted in several partners setting up cooling centers.

As the need from the community becomes more apparent, PCDEM is expanding its response by activating the Emergency Operations Center earlier and staying open longer. Also, the department invested in temporary shelters for high and low temperature events.

Social media response was very positive when the department set up three temporary warming centers in January 2024. At least 150 people were safe in those centers during the weather event.

Superior Court High Profile Trial

Sept. - Dec. 2023

More than 50 partner agencies, departments and organizations participated in the response to the high profile trial State v. Burbank, Collins and Rankine that started September 18 and ended December 20. The activation of the EOC was the culmination of more than two years of preparation by PCDEM and Pierce County Superior Court and the other partners.

During the trial, PCDEM had staff in the Emergency Operations Center to support Superior Court and be ready in case an incident outside the courtroom required a response.

Partners worked with PCDEM to make sure their constituents were informed of the trial and plans in place in case operations needed to change. Given the community interest in the trial and national media coverage, PCDEM took a stance of being prepared to keep the community safe during and after the trial.

As the trial concluded, the EOC remained active for several days afterwards in case partners needed assistance. The EOC deactivated December 27.

Port of Tacoma Demonstration

Nov. 2023

While the EOC was activated for the High Profile Trial, a second activation occurred when demonstrators gathered at the Port of Tacoma because a military ship heading overseas was taking on cargo. PCDEM coordinated efforts with Tacoma Police Department, Tacoma Fire Department and the Port of Tacoma. A liaison from PCDEM was assigned to the Port’s emergency operations effort in case additional resources were needed.

Pierce County Elections Office

November 2023

A neighbor of PCDEM in Tacoma is the Pierce County Elections Office. On November 8, the day after the General Election was held, the elections office and its staff were suddenly evacuated when an employee opened an envelope that contained white powder. The concern was the powder could be a hazardous material.

When PCDEM was contacted by the Election’s Office, emergency management staff took action.

PCDEM staff contacted the county’s facilities department and made sure the ventilation system for PCDEM and the Elections Office were not connected. PCDEM provided a space where the Election’s staff could shelter, provided them updates as hazardous materials specialists from Tacoma Fire Department recovered the envelope and coordinated media coverage with the Auditor.

The white powder was confirmed as baking soda and within hours of the Elections staff were back processing ballots.

Power Outages

November

2023

A phone call to a DEM employee from a family member about a power outage activated the Emergency Operations Center on November 15. The outage extended from North Tacoma into University Place and parts of Gig Harbor.

PCDEM monitored the situation and maintained contact with partners, including Peninsula, Tacoma and University Place school districts, if assistance was needed. The department also reposted information from the utilities working to restore power. PCDEM staff also prepared for cascading impacts if the power outage lasted into the evening and people in the impacted areas needed assistance staying warm.

Thankfully, the utility partners were able to re-establish power in a few hours and the EOC was able to stand down.

King Tides 2023

With the king tides of late 2022 in mind, PCDEM took a more proactive approach in 2023. The department coordinated with partners in Pierce County Planning and Public Works and the National Weather Service monitoring scheduled king tides and any weatherrelated anomalies.

Pre-scripted messaging was coastal advisories in case the king tides were going to be more impactful than anticipated. PCDEM also put a second Duty Officer on call in case circumstances warranted a response to damages from the king tides.

COMMUNITY OUTREACH + EDUCATION

Being ready for emergencies means planning for them before they happen. For PCDEM that includes sharing information at 219 public events in 2023. These events had a common goal: how the public can get ready for emergencies in their homes, vehicles, at work or other places they spend a lot of time. Resiliency during an emergency is incredibly important for a successful recovery. That means preparing in advance.

Two outreach professionals guide and implement outreach events around the county with assistance from other department staff. They regularly collaborate with the Fire Prevention Bureau on outreach for both disaster preparedness and fire prevention. DEM has presented in classrooms, sharing information at fairs and markets, participated in National Night Out events and taught in neighbors’ homes.

VOLUNTEERS

More than 900,000 people live in Pierce County. That’s more people than PCDEM staff can serve on their own. Volunteers are important to the mission of the department. Several groups are involved with the county emergency management office including radio operators, search and rescue teams, teams that monitor rivers and creeks during flooding and those who volunteer their time with CPR and First Aid training.

An important group in neighborhood readiness is PC-NET. Pierce County Neighborhood Emergency Teams (PC-NET) was created to help neighbors help neighbors. Residents work together to plan how to respond in a major emergency. PCDEM provides training on several topics including CPR/First Aid, safely shutting off power and natural gas at homes, stocking food, medicine and shelter and assessing the skill sets of neighborsto help people survive and recover. This program is one PCDEM is eager to grow in Pierce County.

The Emergency Medical Services volunteer corps is another important group to help PCDEM. This small group helps with First Aid and CPR classes and intake of members of Washington Task Force 1 making sure the search and rescue team members are physically capable of the missions.

PCDEM relies on partnerships with search and rescue groups like Pierce County 4x4 Search & Rescue, Pierce County Explorer Search and Rescue and German Shepherd Search Dogs. Partners in other communities will contact PCDEM’s Duty Officer asking for search and rescue assistance – which is managed by Pierce County Sheriff’s Department.

TRAINING

Safety Summit

One of the biggest events for PCDEM in 2023 was the Safety Summit held August 1-3 at the Environmental Services Building in University Place. This first-time event was a big success with more than 100 people attending the three-day summit including K-12 and higher education officials, law enforcement, fire departments, mental health experts and Pierce County municipal officials.

The focus of the summit was preparing for response and recovery to critical incidents – specifically emergencies at schools and universities. Michele Gay, a parent of a Sandy Hook Elementary victim, was the keynote speaker. She spoke about the importance of planning ahead for a shooting or similar act of violence.

A speakers’ panel shared their experiences with the 2017 Freeman High School shooting in Rockford that included an emergency manager and district mental-health experts. A second panel shared about the Marysville-Pilchuck High School shooting in 2014 and discussed how the community and the district responded. Cultural considerations were also a factor as some of the victims and the assailant were members of the local tribal community.

Also, the mental health of law enforcement and first responders who come to these scenes was discussed. A seminar on crisis management and policy level decision making led by Donell Harvin, former Chief of Homeland Security and Intelligence and Executive Director of the DC Fusion Center.

“Bringing several agencies together –especially those focused on education – to learn about and discuss this difficult topic was very important. The education profession, law enforcement and fire service all have critical roles during a shooting, or other mass casualty incident,” said Katie Gillespie, safety, security and emergency management director for Franklin-Pierce School District

Leaders from across Pierce County and critical staff discussed - based on several scenarios - the issues around managing a crisis and the policies that needed consideration and development to have the most effective results.

Integrated Emergency Management Course

The most noticeable of Pierce County’s 21 hazards is Mt. Rainier. While a beautiful backdrop for pictures and a goal of many climbers, the mountain is an active volcano. It could, at any moment, start the process of erupting or be the origin of a lahar that could lead to serious and deadly impacts on people in the Orting, Puyallup and Nisqually valleys.

Starting in 2022, PCDEM and partners from local, regional, state and federal institutions worked together updating the Mt. Rainier Hazard Plan. The process took several months with different subject matter experts coordinating how planning before an eruption or lahar, and the response and recovery after would happen. The results of these meetings and planning effort culminated in a group of nearly 60 traveling to Emmitsburg, Maryland to attend the Integrated Emergency Management Class (IEMC) in May 2023. Experts from several fields spoke to the group including seismologists, public information, public utilities, and there were many opportunities for discussion, collaboration and, eventually, testing how the partners would work together in an emergency response.

Washington Task Force 1 held a K-9 Search and Rescue Certification testing event at a sand and gravel pit in July. The certification event happens every three years for the handlers and K-9s. Becoming certified means the search teams can be deployed by FEMA to emergencies in the United States. Teams from the Washington task force and others from California and Nevada were at the evaluation.

AWARDS + HIGHLIGHTS

Fire Prevention Bureau Standing Ovation Award Entrepreneurial Climate

The Fire Prevention Bureau – which is part of PCDEM –received a Standing Ovation Award from Pierce County employees for the division’s work to provide a one-stop experience for food truck operators when they apply for a fire safety permits. Until the program was introduced, food trucks would need a fire safety permit from every jurisdiction they planned to operate. This meant a lot of time and expense for the small businesses.

The Fire Prevention Bureau (FPB) worked with neighboring jurisdictions to create a unified system that allowed all participants to recognize a single fire safety permit. However, food truck owners needed to make sure a community they wanted to work didn’t also require their own permit.

Public Officials Excellence Award

Ken Rice, Pierce County Fire Marshall, was recognized by the Pierce County Master Builders Association for the Public Officials Excellence Award. The Master Builders Association appreciated his efforts to consolidation of the county’s fire codes and increase efforts to review and approve plans for fire suppression systems.

Rising Star Award

Wyatt Godfrey, Mass Care Coordinator, received the Rising Star Award from the Pierce College Center of Excellence – Homeland Security Emergency Management for outstanding contributions and extraordinary achievements in emergency management.

BUDGET

The 2024-2025 biennial budget for Emergency Management is $52,711,870 which is a 27% decrease from the 20222023 biennium.

This reduction reflects a 4% general fund decrease, a one-time $3.82M FEMA/Urban Search and Rescue grant for Maui wildfires and other disaster response efforts, $3.68 million in COVID-19 response and the completion of two capital facilities projects totaling $8.66M.

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