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Emergency manager briefs council on volunteers, EOC roles and preparedness priorities
Summary
At a Jan. 20 study session, emergency manager Anne Le Sage told the Bainbridge Island City Council the city now has a full-time emergency manager, a volunteer network of more than 700, and pre-positioned disaster hubs; staff outlined EOC functions, notification systems and a draft three-year plan due in February.
Anne Le Sage, the citys emergency manager, briefed the Bainbridge Island City Council on Jan. 20 about how the city prepares for and responds to disasters, the role council expects to play during incidents and several community outreach priorities. The presentation was informational; council did not take formal action.
Le Sage said Bainbridge established its own emergency management program in 2018 and maintains a comprehensive emergency management plan that must be reviewed and submitted to the state every five years to keep eligibility for federal grant funding. "That funding provides us around $11,000 to $12,000 a year for various emergency management activities or equipment," she said.
The presentation emphasized the citys reliance on volunteers and pre-positioned resources. Le Sage said the city leverages a partnership with Bainbridge Prepares and the fire department "and we have over 700 volunteers" who support planning, damage assessment, animal care and other functions. She described a network of disaster hubs (churches, schools and the senior center) stocked with emergency supplies and said the majority of residents live within roughly 1.5 to 2 miles of a hub. "We're ready to activate 24/7. My phone's always on," Le Sage said of activation procedures for the Emergency Operations Center (EOC).
Staff described how the EOC functions as a coordination hub: representatives from key departments and partner agencies report in, information flows in from volunteers and first responders, and the EOC helps prioritize response and assign resources to critical lifelines such as water, fuel and grocery supply. The primary EOC is at the Ted Spearman Justice Center; staff maintain a secondary EOC space with phones, laptops and supplies in case the primary location is unavailable.
Le Sage walked council through the citys mass-notification system (NCSEL) and training efforts (wilderness first aid, CERT Basic Academy and monthly public outreach topics at the library). She said the Map Your Neighborhood program now covers about 54% of households on the island and remains a focus for outreach and new neighborhood captains.
Council members asked how a designated council representative would participate in exercises; Le Sage said staff typically have not included a council rep in tabletop drills but supported predesignating one and involving them in exercises. The city manager and other staff praised the citys preparedness, with the manager saying Bainbridge is "really best in class" among similarly sized jurisdictions.
Le Sage also noted seasonal planning items: the city is in a La Nia1a winter and continues to monitor for freezing weather; the severe-weather shelter protocol is triggered after two or more nights below freezing. She flagged upcoming public events and outreach deadlines including a day of preparedness on Sept. 19 and the Great ShakeOut on Oct. 15, and said a three-year joint strategic plan with Bainbridge Prepares and the fire department is in final draft and expected to be shared with the public in February.
The briefing closed with council members thanking staff. No motions or votes were taken on emergency-management policy; staff said they would return with any materials needed for future council direction.
