King County Emergency Management provides leadership and support to the entire region of King County - the 13th largest county in the nation with two million people. We work in partnership with cities, counties, state, and federal agencies, tribes, special purpose districts, non-profit organizations, community groups, and private businesses to develop a regional approach to emergency planning, response, and recovery. These collaborative partnerships are essential for effective coordination of information, resources, and services throughout our region. Together we are committed to protecting public safety, property, and the environment.

The five phases of emergency management - Prevention, Protection, Response, Recovery, and Mitigation - drive our work to:

• Coordinate regional emergency planning, response, and recovery activities through stakeholder engagement.
• Manage resources and information sharing before, during, and after a disaster.
• Facilitate training and exercises to test regional emergency capabilities and inter-agency communications.
• Recommend policies, strategies, and standards.
• Fund and maintain regional technology tools that provide situation awareness, alert, warning, and notifications for emergencies.

Emergency planning, preparedness, and response in King County

King County Emergency Management Director Brendan McCluskey talks about his agency's role, and what all of us can do, to become better prepared for emergencies and disasters.

King County and Regional Plans

Plans describe "who does what" before, during, or after an emergency. They also address likely hazards, develop a context for when a plan might be used, and describe responsibilities, actions, and related timelines.

• Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan (CEMP)
• Inclusive Emergency Communications Plan (IEC)
• King County Continuity of Government (COG) Plan 
• Recovery Framework (Resilient King County)
• Regional Hazard Mitigation Plan
• Regional Coordination Framework
• Regional Multi-year Training and Exercise Plan

Committees and Teams

We support a number of programs and strategies aimed at emergency preparedness for and emergency operations in the five (5) mission areas: prevention, protection, mitigation, response, and recovery. Our vision is a County with disaster-ready communities where everyone is prepared for and can recover from emergencies. We provide regional leadership to strengthen community resilience and access to emergency services, and special teams and specific committees representing key stakeholders help ensure these activities are accomplished effectively, within applicable requirements, and are appropriate, inclusive, and updated on a regular basis. 

• Emergency Operations Center (EOC) Support Team  
• Emergency Management Advisory Committee (EMAC) and workgroups    
• Inclusive Emergency Communications and Trusted Partner Network (IEC/TPN) workgroup
• King County Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC)
• Regional Catastrophic Planning Grant Program (RCPGP)

Training and Exercises

After individual plans are developed, appropriate personnel are trained and exercises are conducted to test and evaluate the plans. This allows us to identify gaps and make modifications.

• Program overview 
• EOC 101
• Calendar for training and exercises 
• Webinar series

Resources

• ALERT King County - public emergency and notification system
• Emergency management offices 
• Public outreach materials (request items)
• WebEOC (user account required)