MRSC Insight Blog

Posts for Emergency Management

Integrating Best Available Science: New Tools for Land Use Planning & Emergency Management

February 22, 2023 by Tricia Sears
Category: Guest Author , Climate Change , Emergency Management

The state's Washington Geological Survey is offering new and updated resources to help local governments integrate the best available science into their land use planning and emergency management efforts.

Natural Hazards Planning Expertise and Resources for Local Governments

August 10, 2022 by Tricia Sears , Greg Wessel
Category: Guest Author , Climate Change , Emergency Management

Because local governments focus on safety and welfare of their communities, they are the first to be called on when a natural hazard strikes. Fortunately state agencies and nonprofits can offer assistance and expertise to better mitigate risk of hazards when regulating land use.

Fire Season Brings Renewal of Certain Worker Protections, More Action, and Funding

July 6, 2022 by Leah LaCivita
Category: Administration , Emergency Management , Fire Protection

Temporary rules are in place to protect outdoor workers from excessive heat or hazardous air quality. Meanwhile, some local governments are adopting provisions of the International Wildland Urban Interface Code, and state and federal governments are boosting firefighting efforts.

Shake It Up: Local Governments and Earthquake Preparedness

September 23, 2021 by MRSC Insight
Category: Emergency Management

We live in an earthquake-prone state. What can local governments do to better prepare their agency's response, as well as public resilience, for such an emergency?

Legislation Aimed at Counties Impacts Coroners, Operational Continuity

August 9, 2021 by Steve Gross
Category: Administrative and Elected Officials-County , Emergency Management , New Legislation and Regulations

This blog offers an overview of two recent bills that affect county officers: ESHB 1326 and EHB 1271.

Disaster Zone: Heat Waves in the Pacific Northwest

July 26, 2021 by Eric Holdeman
Category: Guest Author , Climate Change , Emergency Management

Heatwaves in the Pacific Northwest? This blog looks at a possible future where this is the norm, not the exception.

Historic Bill Focuses on Wildfire Prevention, Forest Reclamation

June 17, 2021 by Leah LaCivita
Category: Emergency Management , Forests and Trees , Fire Protection , New Legislation and Regulations

This blog looks at 2SHB 1168, which will increase spending on wildland fire prevention and response activities by $125 million over the next two years and up to $328 million by 2027.

Disaster Zone: Emergency Operations Center Facilities

April 9, 2021 by Eric Holdeman
Category: Guest Author , Emergency Management

This blog reviews what an Emergency Operations Center should include to allow staff to function effectively during an emergency.

Disaster Zone: Lessons from Texas and Lebanon

March 15, 2021 by Eric Holdeman
Category: Guest Author , Emergency Management

This blog looks at the 2021 winter storm in Texas and the 2020 Beirut port explosion and asks how lessons learned from each might apply to earthquake preparedness in Washington.

Disaster Zone: COVID After-Action Reports

January 11, 2021 by Eric Holdeman
Category: Guest Author , COVID-19 , Emergency Management

This blog looks at the role of the after-action response in disaster planning and offers shared after-action insights local governments are finding in their responses to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Disaster Zone: Public Warning Systems

November 6, 2020 by Eric Holdeman
Category: Emergency Management

This blog post provides a brief overview of a variety of hazard warning systems available to local governments.

Waiving Competitive Bidding Requirements in the Event of an Emergency

April 6, 2020 by MRSC Insight
Category: Purchasing and Contracting , COVID-19 , Emergency Management

This blog post reviews the rules relating to waiving competitive bidding requirements during emergency situations.

Continuity of Operations During the COVID-19 Emergency

March 27, 2020 by Byron Katsuyama
Category: COVID-19 , Emergency Management

This article discusses measures that local governments have taken or may want to consider taking to ensure the continuity of their operations as they respond to COVID-19, including governance and management, remote work, website communications, employee support, and more.

Disaster Zone: Unreinforced Masonry Buildings

January 31, 2020 by Eric Holdeman
Category: Guest Author , Emergency Management

This blog post looks at the dangers of unreinforced masonry buildings.

Preparing for and Responding to Emergencies: 2019 Legislation

September 26, 2019 by Sarah Doar
Category: Emergency Management , New Legislation and Regulations

This blog post looks at SB 5514, HB 1147, and SB 5012, three pieces of recent legislation that address how local governments and law enforcement should respond during active emergencies.

Firefighting in the Wildland Inter-Urban Interface

May 2, 2019 by Leah LaCivita
Category: Emergency Management , Fire Protection

This blog post looks at the most challenging type of firefighting—where wild lands meet human development—and how some Washington local governments are attempting to mitigate risk in these areas.

Lessons Learned from Snowmaggedon

March 14, 2019 by Jill Dvorkin
Category: Emergency Management , Personnel Policies

This blog post will address a few of the frequently asked questions MRSC received during “Snowmageddon” this past February.

Landslide Hazards: Regulating Them Can Be Hazardous

February 20, 2018 by Greg Wessel
Category: Guest Author , Critical Areas , Emergency Management

Landslides are common throughout the Pacific Northwest. Regulatory agencies and local governments must do their best to understand and document the hazard potential in their jurisdictions. Guest author Greg Wessel looks at the issue and the role of local government in hazard awareness and mitigation.

Emergency Planning 101

September 7, 2017 by Lynn Nordby
Category: Emergency Management

Does your community have an emergency plan? Is it strong enough and written in a way to serve as an organizing document during what is likely to be a tumultuous time? Consultant Lynn Nordby urges readers to follow the Scout motto and “Be Prepared”— for anything.

The Gorillas in the Room

February 14, 2017 by Byron Katsuyama
Category: Emergency Management , Health and Human Services

What does the Cascadia megaquake, the growing opioid crisis, and the lack of affordable housing all share in common? They can all be classified as "gorillas" in the room: big, overwhelming, and not about to go anywhere anytime soon.

Take Advantage of the End of the Year

December 1, 2016 by Lynn Nordby
Category: Administrative and Elected Officials , Emergency Management

The end of the year is typically a busy time for local governments, but it also offers opportunities to help orient newly elected officials and to review citywide emergency management plans.

The Christmas Storm Redux: 6 Lessons in Emergency Management

October 28, 2015 by Lynn Nordby
Category: Emergency Management

With winter storm season soon upon us, here are six tips for responding to emergency situations.

Oso “Extreme Event” Prompts New Look at Landslide Hazards Regulation

May 14, 2014 by Sue Enger
Category: Emergency Management

March 22, 2014 is a day that will be etched in the minds of many Snohomish County residents. On that day, the massive, muddy Oso landslide sped down a mountainside...

Creative Use of Emergency Communications Tool Saves Clark County Time and Money

March 14, 2013 by Tracy Burrows
Category: Emergency Management

In Clark County, response to a public health emergency sparked a creative solution that's saving time and money. It was an epiphany born out of crisis—the commonplace resource...

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