Spokane Valley staff update council on emergency plans, set outreach and exercise schedule

City staff provided an administrative update on Spokane Valley’s emergency-planning work, focusing on the continuity of operations plan (COOP), the county hazard mitigation plan (HMP), and the city’s emergency operations plan (EOP).

Virginia Clef, legislative policy coordinator and project manager, said the city adopted the COOP last November and is now working with departments to prepare follow-up procedures, identify essential records and complete National Incident Management System (NIMS) compliance tasks. "The COOP was adopted last November… the council's notebooks are now on your desk and we've begun orientation meetings with departments to work on their follow-up measures as part of our implementation plan," Clef said.

Clef said staff plan a COOP exercise in 2026 and will coordinate schedules around the wildfire season. On the hazard mitigation plan, she said Spokane Valley contributes a chapter to the county-wide HMP, which is updated every five years; the county’s consultant work resumed after FEMA funding delays and outreach is planned for summer and fall. Clef encouraged residents to sign up for the city’s weekly email subscription and county alert systems for preparedness information.

Mark Conrad of Spokane County Emergency Management joined the presentation; staff said the EOP will be developed on a parallel track and the city and county will coordinate on training and exercises. Clef listed preparedness resources for the public, including ready.gov, the Red Cross, CodeRED alert Spokane and volunteer opportunities such as search-and-rescue teams and animal-rescue volunteers.

Councilmembers asked how the public can provide input; staff said planned outreach and farmers-market events this summer will be announced via the county and city websites and social media. The update was provided as an administrative report and required no council action.