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New emergency-management coordinator outlines 2025 training, EOC and community volunteer goals
Summary
Dan Schoonmaker, Poulsbo's recently hired emergency management coordinator, told the council he will prioritize updating emergency plans, standing up an EOC at Fire Station 71, training staff through FEMA courses, conducting tabletop and workplace drills, and building a volunteer base and community advisory group.
Dan Schoonmaker, hired last year as Poulsbo's emergency management coordinator, presented an initial 90-day plan and a broader 2025 agenda focusing on documentation, operations, training and community engagement.
Schoonmaker said the city has updated a draft emergency-operations plan and is finalizing continuity-of-operations procedures. He described operational priorities: ensure a functional emergency operations center at Fire Station 71 with necessary equipment, provide FEMA-required training for staff, host internal EOC familiarization and workplace drills in spring and a tabletop exercise with council in late summer, and participate in the October Great ShakeOut earthquake drill. He emphasized community outreach and volunteer recruitment and proposed creating a citizen advisory committee for preparedness.
Schoonmaker underlined the central role of training, saying: "Training is big. Training creates competence. Competence creates confidence." He also cited a recent partial activation for a gas leak on 4th Avenue as a reminder of the need to improve real-time alerts and encouraged broader sign-up for Nixle and Kitsap Alert.
Council members asked about reactivating neighborhood preparedness programs and how Poulsbo compares with nearby jurisdictions; Schoonmaker described Poulsbo as "somewhere in the middle" on preparedness and pointed to strong interdepartmental cooperation and county partnerships as assets.
Next steps include completing the EOC setup in the coming months, scheduling training and drills, and returning progress updates to council.
