Happy Friday, WSEMA! It’s day 842 of January…or at least that’s how it feels.
I’m not much of a sports fanatic, but I love going to games – any game, any sport. I went to a Kraken game on Wednesday with some friends, and there’s just something about being in a stadium or arena: the energy of the crowd, being there together, watching a team work together and grind it out. Is it a long game or a short game? I’m not sure, but for this week, we’ll call it the long game so I can tie my thoughts together.
Emergency management is very much a long game, and I feel like we’re wired for response. The rush of EOC activations, sitreps, phone calls, meetings, and weather briefings, but the real work often happens before and after any of those moments. The big events, the storms, the floods, the activations are like the goals that get all the attention. But the real work is everything in between: the planning, the practices, the coordination, the problem-solving, the relationships, and the endurance it takes to keep showing up.
Across Washington right now, many of you are still deep in flood recovery, working through damage assessments, grant applications, mitigation conversations, and planning for what comes next, all while continuing to manage the everyday emergencies that never pause. It’s a lot, and it takes more patience, persistence, and emotional bandwidth than people outside this profession ever really see.
That’s where the “long game” really matters: the relationships we build, the legislation we track, the plans we update, and the programs we implement that shape what’s possible when the next crisis hits. I’m genuinely grateful to be part of this team and this community, and proud of the way emergency managers across Washington keep grinding it out.
Let’s go!
Association News
- WSEMA Membership: Okay friends, another weekly plea to please renew your WSEMA membership if you’re able.
- Legislative Watch: Your WSEMA Legislative Committee has been actively monitoring bills and working with stakeholders as legislation moves through the process. Your perspectives matter, so please don’t hesitate to share your thoughts and opinions with us. Hearing directly from members helps guide our advocacy efforts.
· HB 2089 (Supporting wildfire mitigation): https://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?year=2025&BillNumber=2089
· HB 2181 (using CCA funding for repairing road damage from winter storms): https://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary/?BillNumber=2181&Year=2025&Initiative=false
· HB 2183 (heat response plans): https://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?year=2025&BillNumber=2183
· HB 2203 (Creating the offense of reckless interference with emergency operations): https://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?BillNumber=2203&Year=2025
· HB 2275 (wildfire prevention council and fund): https://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?BillNumber=2275&Year=2025&Initiative=False
· HB 2351 (protecting emergency responders): https://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary/?BillNumber=2351&Year=2025
· HB 2357 (Civil Air Patrol): https://app.leg.wa.gov/BillSummary/?BillNumber=2357&Year=2025&Initiative=false
· HB 2379 (suspension of tolling in an emergency) https://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?BillNumber=2379&Year=2025
· SB 6000 (governing body and action during an emergency) https://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?BillNumber=6000&Year=2025
Survey link to provide input on bills: WSEMA Legislative Bill Survey
Emergency Management in Washington
- Gov. Ferguson Requests Federal Major Disaster Declaration: Gov. Bob Ferguson has formally requested a federal Major Disaster Declaration seeking an estimated $21.3 million in FEMA Individual Assistance to help families and individuals recover from the December flooding. The request covers 10 counties and 15 Tribal nations.
- WA Confirms its First Measles Outbreak Since 2023: The outbreak includes three children in Snohomish County. Additionally, one individual in Kittitas County has tested positive for measles. DOH urges vaccination as measles surges nationally.
- WA State Healthcare Situational Awareness Brief: After peaking on January 6th, the number of hospitalized patients with influenza appear to be trending down. RSV continues to be variable but is slowly trending upward. Hospitalized COVID+ cases remain low across the State. Adult ED visits remain elevated but are slightly lower this week compared to last week. Pediatric ED visits remain similar to previous weeks’ numbers. Hospital and ED boarder numbers are consistent with previous weeks. Adult Acute and ICU bed availability remains consistent. Pediatric acute bed occupancy has increased this past week compared to previous weeks. Pediatric ICU bed availability has been highly variable.
- Have something you’d like me to feature? Send it my way at president@wsema.org by 8:00 a.m. on Fridays. Trainings, news, shoutouts, or anything you think WSEMA should know about!
National EM Updates and Misc.
- Worsening Weather is Driving Smarter Behavioral Interventions: As extreme weather events become more frequent and severe, psychologists are developing and applying evidence-based behavioral tools and communication strategies to improve how weather risks and warnings are understood and acted upon, with the goal of motivating safer individual and community responses.
- Five Global Health Shifts to Watch in 2026: Article talks about five trends to watch in 2026.
- Generation Z in Local Government: Gen Z is entering the workforce in growing numbers but remains underrepresented in local government. This article discusses how to engage them and draw them to local government.
- January 25th Will Mark First 5pm Sunset: For the first time since early winter, the Pacific Northwest will start seeing sunsets after 5 p.m. again this weekend, marking a noticeable shift away from the “Big Dark” of winter and a small but welcome sign that our days are gradually getting longer.
- Supreme Court Information as of January 21: Highlights of what was happening with the Supreme Court this week.
- Emergency Management in GovTech: Multiple articles and information related to emergency management.
- Point Nemo: Point Nemo in the Pacific Ocean is the farthest place from land on Earth. It’s so isolated that if you were there, you’d be closer to astronauts on the ISS than to any human on land (over 2,688 km away from the nearest landmass)!
Closing Note
As we head into the weekend, I hope you get a chance to step away from the screens, take a breath, and maybe enjoy a little of that “crowd energy” somewhere. Whether that’s a game, a coffee shop, your pets, or just your couch. Thanks for everything you do to keep things moving forward, even when the work feels slow and messy. I’m really glad to be on this team with you all.
Have a great weekend, WSEMA friends.
Kyle