Council advances Thurston County Emergency Management Council interlocal; staff outlines wildfire planning

The committee voted to place an interlocal agreement continuing Tumwater’s membership in the Thurston County Emergency Management Council on the Jan. 21, 2025 council consent calendar, and staff used the item to outline regional emergency‑management coordination and wildfire mitigation efforts.

A presenter for the Emergency Management Council told the committee the council coordinates preparedness, mitigation, response and recovery across Thurston County and meets monthly with members that include Thurston County, the county’s cities and two tribes; partner agencies cited in the presentation included hospitals, Puget Sound Energy, Intercity Transit, the Public Utility District, the Department of Transportation and institutions such as Evergreen State College. The presenter said the council also coordinates with the Homeland Security Region 3 group on grant and planning activities.

Staff noted the council runs executive seminars and an emergency preparedness expo that rotates through the County; the presenter said Tumwater paid a small membership share (staff cited about $250 a year) and asked the council to advance the interlocal agreement to the consent calendar. The presenter said the regional hazard mitigation plan (coordinated by TRPC) and a city annex address earthquakes, floods, wildfire and other hazards; the presenter encouraged residents to sign up for TC Alert for geographically targeted emergency notifications.

In response to a council question about wildfire command and response structure, the presenter described the tiers of response for a major fire: Tumwater would stand up an operations center, Thurston County Emergency Management would coordinate larger efforts, mutual‑aid compacts and state mobilization would bring additional resources, and regional or state incident management teams would be used for complex incidents.

Staff also highlighted wildfire data from the county hazard plan showing that, between 2008 and 2022, Tumwater experienced a relatively small amount of acres burned (staff stated “less than 6 acres” during that period) and roughly 80 incidents countywide in that timeframe; staff said the highest wildfire activity in Thurston County has occurred in West Thurston (Grand Mound, Little Rock, Rochester) and in southeast Thurston (Yelm, Rainier, Tenino).

The presenter pointed to ongoing initiatives such as a Community Wildfire Protection Plan and localized programs focused on hazard fuels management, mitigation and community outreach. Deputy Chief Crimmins and other Tumwater staff were noted as having been trained to assess home‑site risk and provide homeowner guidance on defensible space. The committee moved the interlocal agreement to the Jan. 21 consent calendar by motion and voice vote.

Votes at a glance: Committee motion to place the Thurston County Emergency Management Council interlocal agreement on the Jan. 21 consent calendar carried by voice vote.