Latest Updates

Study by DNR geophysicist suggests hazardous Seattle Fault Zone developed as the edge of the continent split more than 50 million years ago  

The Seattle fault zone is a network of shallow faults slicing through the lowlands of Puget Sound, threatening to create damaging earthquakes for the more than four million people who live there. A new origin story, proposed by Washington State Department of Natural Resources geophysicist Megan Anderson and others in a new study, could explain the fault system’s earliest...

FEMA.gov has lots of info, and I came across their Data Visualization page, and found their summary of fire reporting for the state of Washington was interesting:

131,646 fires in Washington State were reported to the National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS) between 2015 & 2019, over 26 thousand fires a year, or some 72/day. 32,566 were from King County, or 6.5K/year: almost 18/day.

...

Effective Thursday June 1st at 0800hrs the King County Fire Chief’s Association, King County Fire Marshals Association and the King County Fire Marshal are implementing a STAGE 1 (burn restrictions) Ban.  This ban specifically relates to yard debris/residential burning.

In response to the increased Fuel Energy Release Rates (ERC), decreased 100-hour fuel moisture content (F100), and anticipated warmer weather conditions the King County Fire Chiefs and the King County Fire Marshals, collectively are implementing a STAGE 1 Burn Ban (burn restrictions).  Recreational Fires, Gas/propane appliances, including grills, pellet smokers and charcoal grills are still permitted.

The King County Fire Chiefs, Fire Marshals and local jurisdictions encourage all residents to burn according to their local jurisdictions requirements and maintain a fire safe environment.  If you have any questions, please contact your local Fire Department.

Approved Recreational Burn Requirements: *note some jurisdictions...

Are you Wildfire Ready? Join VIFR this evening from 6:00 - 8:00 pm at Farcy training center for a wildfire preparedness class. The class will be taught by Mike Lasecki from King Conservation District. Mike will cover the following topics;

· Wildfire behavior and risk in Western Washington State

· How to identify and understand wildfire risk on Vashon Island and on your property

· How to mitigate wildfire risk on your property and in your neighborhood

· Free services and financial support available from King Conservation District and WA DNR to help residents mitigate their wildfire risk

Visit the following link to register for the class: https://vifr.org/wildfire-preparedness-program/

...

Vashon Island Fire and Rescues offers Friends and Family CPR classes to community members who would like to learn or brush up on basic skills to save a life with CPR.

Classes will be held at the VIFR Training Center, 10011 SW Bank Road, Vashon.

To download a PDF brochure, click here.

This is not a certification class. Current dates are April 24th, June 5th or July 24th, all 6 – 8 PM.

To register, please visit: https://vifr.org/cpr-classes/

VashonBePrepared strives to keep the community informed in many ways, but one that has been maintained since our initial website back around 2005 is our blog.

It’s now been recognized as one of the “Top 40 Best Emergency Preparedness Blogs” by Feedspot, coming in at 24th.

Congratulations to us - but even more to all the other hard-working authors of other blogs, inspiring their respective communities to prepare, mitigate, respond, or rebuild. Also thanks to authors of the studies and reports and news that we are just covering.

There is a new tool available to look at how to enhance your house’s chance of surviving future earthquakes, winter storms, and flooding.

https://inspecttoprotect.org/international-residential-codes/ is a free online tool sponsored by DHS and provided by Federal Alliance for Safe Homes.

Once at their website, enter your address and it will suggest a series of fixes – above and beyond what our current building codes suggest.

It also provides an interesting snapshot of historical disasters for the region.

This year's International ShakeOut Day is October 20, when millions of people worldwide will participate in earthquake drills at work, school, or home!

At 10:20 am (local time) on 10/20, you can join millions of people across Washington practicing earthquake safety. While we encourage you to participate with everyone, you can register your ShakeOut drill for any day of the year, and drill at a time of your choice. You can also include people in multiple locations through video conferencing.If you live or work in a coastal area, ShakeOut day is also a great time to practice your tsunami evacuation routes. Learn more about tsunami preparedness at TsunamiZone.org.Start here...

Now that the National Weather Service Excessive Heat Warning has been extended through Saturday, the heat safety tips are even more important. The following tips have been compiled from multiple sources by the Vashon Emergency Operations Center and VashonBePrepared, in collaboration with Vashon Island Fire & Rescue.Stay hydrated. Drink plenty of water before you feel thirsty.Ideally, stay indoors and out of the heat of the day, generally from midday to early evening.If your job requires you to work outside, do what you can to work in the shade and be especially mindful of getting plenty of water, taking breaks in the shade or in a cool space, and avoiding sunburn. Try to perform critical outdoor tasks in the morning only.You can keep your home cooler by shutting blinds, drawing curtains, and keeping windows closed while outdoor temperatures are higher than indoor temperatures. Of course, use fans or air-conditioners, if you have them. Once outdoor temperatures drop below indoor temperatures, open your windows...

The Excessive Heat Warning issued by the National Weather Service has been extended one more day through Saturday evening. High temperatures over the next several days are forecast in the range of 90 to 94 degrees. There will be relief overnight as temperatures fall into the low sixties.The National Weather Service classifies this as a level three heat risk event out of a possible four levels in the National Weather Service classification system. Level three means the heat is a high risk for much of the population, especially those who are heat-sensitive and those without effective cooling or adequate hydration.VashonBePrepared and the Vashon Emergency Operations Center, in collaboration with Vashon Island Fire & Rescue, have worked with community partners to open two cooling centers on Vashon and they will continue in operation with some changes in opening hours.Vashon Public Library will be open today from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm. The library is at Ober Park, 17210 Vashon Highway SW.Vashon Center for the Arts will...