The person who did the project work to put this together was Diane Newman. Diane was my deputy at King County Emergency Management and then also the deputy at Seattle's Office of Emergency Management. Two words that I'd use to describe Diane are "practical" and "common-sense." Thus, what she put together in the form of the checklist is not some pie-in-the-sky document from an entity with no local emergency management practical experience.
Sometimes classes at universities are expected to do external projects. Offering to use the tool to assess a local program might be a great one for an individual or group of aspiring emergency managers. A description of the tool and how it came to be developed is below. While they target Washington state agencies, it is an appropriate tool for any local jurisdiction in the United States.
TheLocal Emergency Management Program Assessment Tool and Companion Guide may assist local jurisdictions of all sizes throughout Washington state in establishing common emergency management program elements. The Assessment Tool identifies 14 overarching Program Categories, each with one to four elements, some of which are identified as essential functions for every city, county or tribal emergency management program. The Companion Guide provides further descriptions and examples of how a jurisdiction could implement the Program Elements.
The Assessment Tool captured work done by local and state emergency management professionals over an 18-month period as they worked through policies that related to distribution of Emergency Management Performance Grant (EMPG) funding. Participants considered Emergency Management Accreditation Program (EMAP) standards, work done previously by Washington State Emergency Management Association (WSEMA) members, and the group’s experience and knowledge to develop elements of a successful baseline emergency program for local jurisdictions. This working group included 12 local emergency managers from Eastern and Western Washington, the Washington State Emergency Management Association (WSEMA) President, and individuals from Washington State Emergency Management Division (EMD). The elements identified in the Assessment Tool are consistent with Washington Administrative Code (WAC) 118-30 (draft 2014 update).
The Companion Guide provides a brief description or explanation of each element followed by a series of examples of activities that may be associated with that element. These activities may not apply to all programs or jurisdictions nor should they be considered all-inclusive. There are many excellent emergency management program activities at the local level that may not be noted in this document.
The Local Emergency Management Program Assessment Tool and Companion Guide were developed in 2013 by the City of Seattle Office of Emergency Management through funding provided by the Puget Sound Regional Catastrophic Preparedness Grant Program (RCPGP).
