Pierce County Department of Emergency Management Kristin Tinsley Public Information Officer Public Educator PC-NET Coordinator 2501 South 35 th St. Suite D Tacoma, WA

1.Emergency Management Preparedness & Public Education Planning & Mitigation Response & Recovery Emergency Medical Services (EMS) 2.Fire Prevention Bureau 3.Enhanced Radio Communications 5.Washington State Urban Search and Rescue Task Force (WATF-1) DEM Divisions

Pierce County Emergency Operations Center The role of the Pierce County EOC is to facilitate the:  Overall coordination of emergency activities  Coordination with other agencies and jurisdictions  Coordination of mutual aid  Establishment of priorities  Collection, evaluation, and dissemination of damage information and emergency public information  Implementation of policy as needed

There are three levels of activation of the Pierce County EOC: 1) Level I activation: Involves minor emergencies which can be handled by the duty officer without formal activation of the Pierce County EOC. 2) Level II activation: Involves incidents which have special characteristics requiring response by multiple agencies, requires the acquisition and/or use of special resources which would require partial or limited activation of the Pierce County EOC. 3) Level III activation: Involves incidents which require the coordinated response of all levels of government and emergency services to save lives and protect property. EOC Activation Levels

FunctionDescription Incident Command Establishes incident objectives, strategies, and priorities. Assume overall responsibility for the incident. Operations Determines tactics and resources for achieving objectives. Directs the tactical response. Planning Collects and analyzes information. Tracks resources Maintains documentation. Logistics Provides resources and needed services. Finance/ Administration Accounts for expenditures, claims, and compensation. Procures needed resources. ICS General Staff

Joint Information Center (JIC) A facility established to coordinate all incident related public information activities on-scene. It is the central point of contact for all news media at the scene of the incident. Public information officials from participating federal, State, local, and tribal agencies and nongovernmental entities also may co-locate at the JIC.

Policy Room

Media Room

IT Pod Call Taker Room Radio Communications & Dispatch Liaison to the EOC Sheltering Team

Mobile Operations Command Center

 Mitigate: reduce or eliminate risks to persons or property  Prepare: before a disaster strikes, not during  Respond: activities that address the short-term, direct effects, of an incident  Recover: address both long-term and short-term recovery Emergency Management Lifecycle

Helping Neighbors Help Themselves Pierce County Communities

You might ask yourself… why PC-NET? Consider this scenario… A 7.8 earthquake strikes your neighborhood Large amount of damage to infrastructure Large number of injuries and fatalities 911 database is overwhelmed Local landlines are down Only half of the first responders were able to make it to work…the ones that did are overwhelmed You got lucky and are not injured, but you know that others are either injured or trapped

What do you do? YOU become the FIRST RESPONDER YOU rely on your NEIGHBORS for help NEIGHBORS rely on YOU for help

PC-NET brings neighborhoods together to formulate a plan BEFORE the disaster strikes, not DURING Lives can be saved. Property can be protected. Emergency providers can get important information.

Avalanche Dam Failure Earthquake Epidemic (Human) Flooding Hazmat (NBC) Snow and Ice Storms Terrorism Transportation Accidents Warfare - Conventional Windstorm Pierce County Hazards Civil Unrest Drought Epidemic (Animal) Fire Global Warming Landslide Subsidence Tornado Tsunami Volcanic Hazards Warfare (NBC)

Building a PC-NET Neighborhood The program requires just a small investment of time and effort. It is FREE. And you will find… You can make a difference if you have a plan.

PC-NET Sequence of Events 1. Introduction 2. Team Formation 3. NAT Crime Prevention 4. Tabletop 5. Walk-about Exercise 6. Response Functional Drill 8. Annual Update

PC-NET begins at home…. You cannot help your neighbors if you aren’t prepared yourself. The handbook you receive provides clear, easy to follow guidelines for personal and home preparedness.

….then moves to the neighborhood  Neighbors plan ahead of time how they will respond as a group to a disaster.  Sign up for teams  Gather team supplies  Practice with drills  No special skills or training required except first aid.  CPR Sunday  American Red Cross  First aid & CPR  Disaster Response Training

Neighborhoods You define your neighborhood— generally homes -- similar to a block watch program.

Prepared Neighborhoods are Safe Neighborhoods Neighborhoods that are prepared recover faster than those that aren’t Aware and trained neighborhoods strengthen the fabric of homeland security Neighborhoods with an active crime prevention program experience measurable reductions in crime.

You can make a difference… If you have a PLAN

Choose one of the following Disaster Response Teams 1. Block Coordinator 2. Safety & Security 3. Light Search & Rescue 4. First Aid 5. Sheltering & Special Needs 6. Communications 7. Damage Assessment

9 RESPONSE STEPS 1. Care for the home 2. Dress for safety 3. Shut off natural gas –if necessary 4. Shut off water 5. Post OK/HELP Card 6. Put Fire Extinguishers outside 7. Go to Response Site 8. Use task descriptions– 2 people 9. Return to Response Site

QUESTIONS? Kristin Tinsley PC-NET Coordinator Gig Harbor, Key Peninsula, Steilacoom, Lakewood, University Place & DuPont