Earlier Accomplishments – Highlights

  • Coordinated disaster preparedness efforts for Vashon with multiple partners, to respond to earthquakes, windstorms, snowstorms and other eventualities.
  • Delivered citizen and business education and motivation through our VashonBePrepared.org web site, Facebook and Twitter, articles in local papers and numerous presentations
  • Recruited and trained hundreds of volunteers in position-specific skills in compliance with national Incident Command System (ICS) and National Incident Management System (NIMS).
  • Responded to numerous real-world activations (winter storms, oil spills, severing of fiber-optic cables providing 911 and communication to islanders, and pandemic flu) to communicate resources available to islanders and provide situational awareness locally and beyond.
  • Raised funds for Voice of Vashon’s emergency alert radio station at 1650 AM with 3 transmitters across the island.
  • July 2005 “Earthquake Study – Four Vashon-Specific Scenarios” report identifying  earthquake’s potential impact
  • Creation of ARES Local Area Communication Centers (LACCs) and CERT Command Posts at Vashon fire stations, enabling local communication and coordination with the central Vashon Emergency Operations Center (EOC). Developed capability for robust email communication over ham radio.
  • Conducted regular major disaster preparedness drills, including several all-island drills involving hundreds of volunteers and many partner organizations. Supported and participated in many major regional and national exercises.
  • Helped create the 2009 Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan for Vashon Island. 
  • Planning,training and participation in FEMA National-Level Exercise Cascadia Rising 2016.  Established procedures between King County OEM and VIFR for handling resource requests in event of a disaster.
  • Operation Lifeline developed with Washington State Ferries and King County Ferry District for handling water transportation after a regional incident. 
  • Communications with other Salish Sea community emergency management organizations.
  • Participation in many King County meetings and initiatives, such as the Mass Care Workgroup and other KC ECC forums. Work with KC OEM on their ground breaking Regional Incident Management System (RIMS).
  • Worked with local businesses on development of a Community Food and Water plan
  • Acquired and prepositioned a Disaster Emergency Response Trailer (DERT) in 2010 with an additional 100 ADA compliant cots. Earlier last decade we purchased and stocked several shipping containers with cots and basic shelter and shelf-stable food.
  • Creation of a medical cache (circa 2007 & since) with beds, key pharmaceuticals, and other medical supplies.

2023:

  • At the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) Preparedness Summit and American Public Health Association (APHA) annual conference, Dr. Jim Bristow (Vashon MRC) and team presented abstracts for two papers by Dr. Jim Bristow et al:“Unraveling the contributions of demography, geographic isolation and public health measures to cumulative COVID-19 incidence in the Puget Sound region” and “Successful implementation of an all-volunteer, community-based COVID-19 response program: the Vashon WA Medical Reserve Corps experience.”
  • Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) team ran Field Treatment Site exercise with VIFR, MedicOne, SeaMar and others – a historic partnership
  • MRC/EOC/VIFR coordinated with King County Public Health Reserve Corps on public vaccination programs
  • Received grants from NACCHO (MRC) and PSE (EOC) for Vashon projects.
  • Supported public AED by Sam Yates Community Foundation
  • MRC personnel provided health screenings at Health Fairs
  • Public information team delivered weekly newsletters up to #119, read by over 2,400 readers and published in Vashon Beachcomber
  • EOC team collaborated with VIFR and others to launch Mobile Command Post project.
  • MRC enhanced medical, supplies caches in partnership with Vashon Pharmacy/VIFR.
  • Auxiliary Communications Service (ACS), Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), Marine Emergency Response Team (MERT), Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) held monthly meetings, field exercises, training sessions, and drill nights.
  • Helped neighborhood groups form Neighborhood Emergency Response Orgs (NEROs)
  • Weekly monitoring and public communications on COVID risk level.
  • VIFR facilitated receipt of $77k FEMA reimbursement of Relief Fund expenses
  • Teams staffed Prepare Fair tables at VIFR’s October open house
  • Facilitated Bloodworks NW mobile blood drive on Vashon (first since pandemic began)

 

2022:

  • Continuing efforts on pandemic response
  • Prepared for and participated in FEMA National Level Exercise: Cascadia 2022
  • Received King County reimbursement of over $250k in pandemic expenses

 

2021:

  • Continued coordination of Vashon pandemic response with multiple partner groups and social service agencies, and providing testing and vaccinations.
  • Over 32,000 hours contributed by volunteers, in addition to thousands more hours by CERT team members.
  • Vashon COVID Relief Fund continued to support community efforts at health care, food, shelter, and economic recovery, including testing, vaccination, public health outreach and education.
  • Preparation for FEMA National Level Exercise: Cascadia 2022
  • Collaborated with VIFR to provide Vashon updates to King County Regional Hazard Mitigation Plan

 

2020:

  • Initiated Vashon pandemic response on March 12, 2020, focused on four main community objectives: health care, food, shelter, economic recovery.
  • Published weekly Situation Reports to keep community informed
  • Hosted two virtual town hall meetings, each attended by over 1,000 participants
  • Trained and guided over 300 volunteers
  • MRC/CERT/EOC conceived and operated Vashon’s Test and Trace program, contact-tracing over 42 case clusters on the island, identifying 178 contacts and 47 additional cases among those contacts. As of September 2021, the testing program had performed over 3,571 COVID-19 tests, supplying more than 38% of all tests for Vashon residents, and had identified 80 of 121 reported cases on Vashon, about half of which occurred during winter 2020’s third wave.
  • Coordinated situational awareness and funding with many social service agencies
  • Raised $325,000 in donations to support community pandemic response
  • Funded over 12,000 meals, nearly 2,000 bags of groceries, advocacy and counseling, business reopening workshops, employee assistance to receive benefits.

 

2016-2017:

  • Many volunteers participated in Cascadia Rising 2016 national-level earthquake exercise
  • Plan formed for major upgrades to Penny Farcy Training Center to also support EOC activation, as a result of lessons learned from Cascadia Rising 2016.
  • Hosted two public Disaster Preparedness Seminars
  • Hosted students from Georgetown University’s Masters program in Emergency Preparedness
  • Staffed Prepare Fair at VIFR open house
  • Facilitated financial support  of IFCH and St. Vincent de Paul’s emergency severe weather sheltering
  • Preparedness planning consultations with Food Bank, Vashon Community Care, and others
  • CERT developed Critical Locations list and routes, for rapid information collection after a disaster
  • ACS participated with VMIRC in annual ham radio field day
  • ACS created portable communications cache
  • NEROs reached 214.

 

2013-2015:

  • VashonBePrepared community summit: preparedness priorities, community partnerships
  • Service agreement signed with Vashon Island Fire & Rescue
  • Emergency Alert System with VoiceOfVashon expanded capabilities, completed flashing highway signs. Applied for community FM station license.
  • VashonBePrepared joined the Steering Committee for the Regional Hazard Mitigation Plan, a future source for federal grants that gained Vashon a voice.
  • Medical Reserve Corps received federal grant from NACCHO (National Association of City and County Health Officials)
  • ACS instituted WPS/GETS emergency phone service for key leaders
  • ACS added local area communication caches (LACCs) at fire stations
  • Implemented state Emergency Worker protections for EOC volunteers
  • Forged partnerships with Granny’s Attic and Food Bank for emergency response volunteers and supplies.
  • 2014 public presentation on landslide risks, featuring Oso landslide survivors
  • Trainings: CERT class and rescue exercise with ARES; Red Cross shelter training with Granny’s Attic volunteers; 15 new ham radio operators trained and licensed.

 

2011-2012:

  • VashonBePrepared received King County Executive Award for Community Preparedness
  • Volunteers trained for June 2012 Evergreen Earthquake National-Level Exercise
  • Business emergency disaster response planning launched with Vashon Chamber
  • Operation Lifeline plan created for transportation and supplies when ferries aren’t running
  • Emergency generators received from King County Office of Emergency Management and Franciscan Health
  • Memos of understanding developed with Vashon Island School District, Camp Burton
  • Sheltering supplies delivered on Vashon, including 100 cots with blankets
  • Social media accounts started, websites upgraded
  • Monthly EOC team drills, lots of other training

 

2008-2010:

  • Achieved federal nonprofit 501(c)3 status
  • Launched VashonBePrepared.org website

 

2006-2007: 

  • VashonBePrepared incorporates
  • 4,865+ volunteer hours
  • 80 NEROs established
  • Multiple CERT classes
  • major purchases of preparedness equipment, including medical, food and water, communications, power
  • Community-wide preparedness drill
  • Volunteer recruitment and training, public education events

 

2005:

  • Washington State House of Representatives honors Vashon Disaster Preparedness Coalition (precursor to VashonBePrepared): 
HOUSE RESOLUTION NO.2005-4627, by Representatives Cody and McDermott

 

HOUSE RESOLUTION NO.2005-4627, by Representatives Cody and McDermott     WHEREAS, On December 26, 2004, one of the most devastating natural disasters in recent history hit Southeast Asia; and
WHEREAS, An earthquake, 9.0 in magnitude, centered underwater off the coast of the Indonesian island of Sumatra, triggered a tsunami that devastated the coastal areas of Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, Thailand, Malaysia, and the Maldives; and
WHEREAS, Approximately 200,000 people lost their lives; and
WHEREAS, Washington State, specifically the Puget Sound Region, is projected to have a large earthquake in the foreseeable future; and
WHEREAS, Disaster awareness and preparedness are important ways for local communities to address this threat; and
WHEREAS, Puget Sound islands could be cut off as a result of a loss of ferry, utilities, and phone services; and
WHEREAS, Mainland agencies and emergency services would be consumed with their own emergency needs; and
WHEREAS, Puget Sound island residents would need enough food, clean water, medicine, and other critical supplies to survive for three to five days; and
WHEREAS, Vashon Island’s “unofficial Mayor,” Melinda Sontegrath, and the Vashon Disaster Preparedness Coalition, a community-wide umbrella organization, are interested in drawing the attention of homeowners and businesses in taking upon themselves disaster awareness and preparedness; and
WHEREAS, Over one hundred fifty dedicated volunteers have already joined this effort; and
WHEREAS, Raising awareness about disaster preparedness can save lives and property and prevent human suffering; and
WHEREAS, The Washington State Legislature values and encourages outstanding public contributions in all fields of endeavor;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the Washington State House of Representatives honor the Vashon Disaster Preparedness Coalition for its foresight, dedication, and contributions to public safety; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be immediately transmitted by the Chief Clerk to Melinda Sontegrath and the Vashon Disaster Preparedness Coalition.
I hereby certify this to be a true and correct copy of
Resolution 4627 adopted by the House of Representatives
February 25, 2005
__________________________
Richard Nafziger, Chief Clerk