Winter Olympics have been in full swing, and I am fully invested. I LOVE the Olympics. The athleticism. The drama. The announcers whisper-yelling. Unfortunately, my Olympic dreams ended when breakdancing didn’t stick around. Tragic. A true loss for the nation.
If they ever introduce Running My Mouth as an Olympic sport, I’m confident I could at least make the qualifiers.
Until then, I’ll admire world-class athletes from my couch…offering expert commentary… with a cinnamon roll in hand.
Let’s do this.
Association News
- WSEMA Conference: The conference committee is in the initial planning stages and I can’t wait! Don’t forget, block out your calendars now – September 21-24 at the Muckleshoot!
- Legislative Watch: Well folks, there are 20 days left in this session. We continue to remain engaged and involved in the legislative process. Here are the latest updates in red:
· HB 2089 (Supporting wildfire mitigation):
o Passed the House. Senate has a public hearing on February 24th Committee Materials
o https://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?year=2025&BillNumber=2089
o Neutral
· HB 2183 (heat response plans): Referred to Appropriations.
o Did not make it out of appropriations. Looks like this bill will not make it out of this session, however, I imagine we’ll see this again next session.
o https://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?year=2025&BillNumber=2183
o Opposed in current version. Creates unfunded mandate and responsibility could fall back to Emergency Management as plan facilitator.
o Sent letter to Representative.
· HB 2203 (Creating the offense of reckless interference with emergency operations): Placed on second reading in Rules.
o This bill picked up some steam. Passed the House. Senate has a public hearing on February 23rd (Committee Materials). Then scheduled for executive session on February 24th (Committee Materials)
o https://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?BillNumber=2203&Year=2025
o Support
· HB 2275 (wildfire prevention council and fund): Public hearing was on Jan. 21.
o Looks like this bill will not make it out of this session.
o https://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?BillNumber=2275&Year=2025&Initiative=False
o Opposed
· HB 2351 (protecting emergency responders): Referred to Rules Review.
o This bill also picked up some steam. This was returned to Rules Committee on February 19th for second reading. Marked as “X” file. So, that means it is sitting in the House Rules Committee and has not been pulled to the House floor for debate. It is still possible for this to move to the Senate. We’ll watch it closely.
o https://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary/?BillNumber=2351&Year=2025
o Support
· SB 6046 (Civil Air Patrol): Referred to Appropriations.
o I expect this bill will pass. Passed Senate. Scheduled for House public hearing February 20th at 10:30am (Committee Materials) Scheduled for House executive session on February 25th (Committee Materials)
o https://app.leg.wa.gov/BillSummary/?BillNumber=6046&Chamber=Senate&Year=2025
o Support
· HB 2379 (suspension of tolling in an emergency):
o Placed on second reading of Rules. I’m not sure about this one on where it’ll end up. It is marked as “X” and because this bill met the House of Origin cutoff, it could still possibly make it to the floor for a vote. We’ll watch this one closely.
o https://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?BillNumber=2379&Year=2025
o Support.
· SB 5853 (mass notification system for elected officials): Public hearing occurred on Feb. 5th in Ways & Means.
o No further movement.
o https://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?BillNumber=5853&Year=2025&Initiative=false
o Neutral
Emergency Management in Washington
- Emergency Management Day at the Capitol: I’m super excited for Emergency Management Day at the Capitol on the 26th! Overjoyed with the amount of EM folks intending to come and all of the equipment and materials to show off and educate. I hope I see you there! If you need anything or any info, just let me know.
- And please reach out to your legislators. Maybe schedule 15 minutes with them to let them know what you do and the important role of EM. All legislators have been invited but feel free to also personally reach out and invite them to come take a walk and see all of the equipment and materials.
- If helpful, here is the page to find your legislators: https://app.leg.wa.gov/districtfinder
- One last thing…please take pictures!!!
- Water Storage Calculator: John Becker with Island County Emergency Management shared this really cool tool, and I had to pass it along. We routinely tell people to store water, but this calculator actually lets folks see what that looks like based on household size and number of days.
It’s simple, visual, and super practical…which is exactly what we want.
Nice work, Island County!
- WA State Healthcare Situational Awareness Brief: Hospitalized patients with influenza remain elevated but showing a small decrease after steadily climbing for the previous two weeks with 199 hospitalized as of today’s report. COVID+ inpatient numbers have remained steady while RSV+ inpatient numbers continue to increase. Adult and pediatric ED visits vary greatly by day but overall remain elevated with numbers similar to last week. Boarder numbers over the past week also show a high degree of variability but overall numbers indicate an increase. Adult ICU and acute bed availability remains consistently fluid day to day however both bed types remain tight in several areas of the state. Pediatric ICU bed occupancy has improved this week with some Peds ICU beds available. Pediatric acute bed availability, while limited in many areas, is consistent with last week.
- New Research on Wildfire Risk & Human Factors: An interesting article from the U.S. Forest Service that takes a look at wildfire risk across the PNW. Spoiler alert!!! human behaviors (like recreation and open burning) are major contributors to ignitions, accounting for most fires in many areas.
The study points out that traditional wildfire hazard models can miss key social and community factors. Also relays that integrating social vulnerability into risk models could help us target prevention resources more effectively, especially in communities that are disproportionately affected by wildfire.
- Attorney General Asks Court to Enforce Order Preventing FEMA Cutting BRIC Funding: Attorney General Nick Brown and a coalition of states have asked a federal court to enforce its December order that prohibits FEMA from terminating the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) mitigation program and requires the agency to reverse its actions. They argue FEMA has not complied with the order, leaving pre-disaster mitigation funds and Washington projects worth over $150 million in limbo, which continues to delay critical community resilience work.
National EM Updates and Misc.
- FEMA Review Council Extended: Haven’t heard any updates or seen the official final report from FEMA Review Council. President Trump has signed an executive order continuing the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Review Council, extending its operation through March 25, 2026.
- COLUMN: When EM Experience Walks Out the Door: Column highlighting the loss of institutional emergency management experience as seasoned practitioners retire or depart, and emphasizes the importance of transferring that tacit knowledge before it walks out the door.
- The First Winter Olympics Held in 1924: Around 250 athletes from 16 countries competed in Chamonix, France. There were 16 events, including cross-country skiing, ski jumping, and ice hockey!
Training and Resources
- ICS Courses: Due to the ongoing federal funding of DHS issues, FEMA’s Independent Study Program (ISP) and other ICS courses are currently unavailable. This includes online modules such as IS-100, IS-200, IS-700, and IS-800.
- WA State Training: There are still trainings and courses happening across the state. To view and register for training, visit the Washington State EMD Training Calendar.
Closing Note
Keep doing gold-medal work out there. Did you see the women’s hockey team clinched our 9th gold medal?!! I’m not sure which winter sport is my fav. I do know that I have said multiple times…How is this a sport…why are we calm about it…and why am I enamored with them?!
I’ll be over here critiquing curling and figure skating scores like I have any idea whether the Canadian curler actually touched that stone…or wondering if I really even know what exactly a triple Lutz is.