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New emergency management coordinator outlines 2025 plan: EOC readiness, training and community outreach
Summary
Dan Schoonmaker, the city’s new emergency management coordinator, told council he’s focused on updating the emergency operations plan, establishing a functional emergency operations center (EOC) at Fire Station 71, and ramping employee and community training through 2025.
Poulsbo’s newly hired emergency management coordinator, Dan Schoonmaker, presented an initial 90‑day and year‑one plan to the City Council on Jan. 15, outlining actions to strengthen the city’s emergency preparedness and response capacity.
Schoonmaker said staff have nearly completed a revised emergency operations plan and a continuity of operations plan, and that one of his first priorities is making the EOC at Fire Station 71 fully functional with required equipment. He cited a recent partial activation during a gas leak on Fourth Avenue as a practical example that highlighted the need for ready facilities and tested procedures.
Planned training and exercises for 2025 include online FEMA courses for staff, in‑person required trainings through Kitsap County Emergency Management (KCDM), a workplace hazard drill in May–June, a tabletop exercise with council and essential EOC members in August–September, and participation in the Great ShakeOut earthquake drill on Oct. 16. Schoonmaker said the EOC team will offer an "EOC 101" familiarization session for staff once equipment is in place.
He also discussed community engagement and volunteer recruitment, saying Bainbridge Island’s long‑standing program (which has hundreds of volunteers) provides a model the city can adapt. Schoonmaker proposed recreation programming and a community advisory committee on preparedness to expand public outreach and identify local volunteers; Kitsap County partners have offered support, he said.
On communications, Schoonmaker urged broader enrollment in alert systems (Nixle and Kitsap Alert) and indicated the city should consider emergency signage in tsunami zones even though Poulsbo’s projections do not show major tsunami risk for most areas. He also said cyber incidents are part of the emergency management planning discussions and that the city’s IT staff are engaged in preparedness planning.
Council members welcomed the report and offered to help coordinate training resources with the state and county. One council member asked if the city has a mechanism to temporarily expand the coordinator’s hours to full time during a major incident; staff said they can arrange such a ramp‑up quickly if needed. No formal action was taken at the meeting.
Why it matters
The coordinator’s plan focuses on internal readiness, interagency coordination and community outreach. Improving EOC readiness and staff training reduces response time and improves coordination during incidents such as hazardous‑material releases, major storms, or utility disruptions.
Next steps
City staff will finish the draft emergency operations documents, set up the EOC with equipment, begin the training schedule, and return to council with periodic updates. Schoonmaker also plans outreach with Parks & Rec and community groups to recruit volunteers and run preparedness programming.
