Please visit our home page for the latest information

VashonBePrepared is a coalition of disaster preparedness organizations on Vashon -Maury Island in Washington's Puget Sound region. Started in 2002 as the informal Vashon Disaster Preparedness Coalition, VashonBePrepared incorporated in 2007 as a federally recognized 501(c)(3) nonprofit. In 2014, FEMA designated VashonBePrepared as the local Citizen Corps Council.

VashonBePrepared helps recruit, train and coordinate volunteers, works closely with Vashon Island Fire & Rescue (VIFR) to mitigate effects of disasters, and educates the public and local businesses on how to best prepare for adverse incidents. 

Many island residents have volunteered with VashonBePrepared and its coalition partners. Maintaining a high level of household, neighborhood, and community preparedness is a key challenge. Winter storms that take out grid power for days and inconsistent ferry services are reminders for residents and businesses to maintain readiness.

VashonBePrepared operates under a service contract to Vashon Island Fire and Rescue. A functioning Emergency Operations Center (EOC) provides support to first responders and the community. Vashon Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) has trained hundreds of islanders in minor firefighting, first aid, search and rescue and communication. Vashon-Maury Island Radio Club (an ARES affiliate) and the Auxiliary Communications Service practice emergency communications. Vashon Medical Reserve Corps was revitalized during the COVID-19 pandemic to significantly augment existing medical resources. More than 250 Neighborhood Emergency Response Organizations (NERO's) have been organized to share mutual aid between households. Voice of Vashon (VoV) established an island-wide emergency public information radio network. 

VashonBePrepared is a Coalition of Organizations Active in Disaster (COAD) – but also houses some teams without a formal organizational structure. VashonBePrepared raises and manages significant grants for its partners.