WSEMA Weekly Update – January 9, 2026

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WSEMA – Happy New Year!

I was talking with some friends last night, reflecting on their activation experiences during the recent flood events. It made me proud to hear about the great work they did and to be reminded how valuable activation experiences are for us, both professionally and personally.

There’s a moment after every activation that doesn’t get talked about enough: the space after the adrenaline fades. The EOC quiets down, the phones stop ringing, and we finally exhale. And often, that’s when the critiques begin – questions about what we did, what we didn’t do, and what could have gone differently.

AARs and honest reflection are essential to our profession of course, but they shouldn’t negate the long hours, the coordination, the judgment calls made with imperfect information, or the care we bring to our communities. Growth and pride can exist at the same time. Don’t let critiques yuck your yum!

So, if you’re in that post-activation space right now: take the lessons, absolutely, but don’t let the noise steal the pride you earned. You showed up. You carried the weight. That still matters.

Let’s do this!

Association News

  • WSEMA Membership: If you haven’t renewed yet, please do. I’m not above a little light begging, mild groveling, and dramatic gratitude.
  • Legislative Watch: Our Legislative Committee is in full swing and actively monitoring legislation as bills move through the process. Below are two bills we are currently tracking closely::

·        HB 2216 Washington State Legislature (“protecting emergency responders”)

  • Recommended WSEMA position: Opposed.
    • Concerns about the broad stance taken in this bill;
    • “Emergency zones” frequently overlap with locations where people are still living, particularly in extended responses such as to wildfires (Incident Command Posts are often located in a nearby town, for example). The way the bill is drafted, specifically Section 6, it would be difficult to enforce any laws broken by any emergency responder or volunteer, effectively placing them above the law;
    • If the bill is rewritten in a way that gets support of the WA Fire Chiefs Association, would likely shift our stance to support.

·       HB 2183 Washington State Legislature (heat response plans):

o   Recommended WSEMA position: Opposed.

  • This amounts to another unfunded mandate at a time when emergency management and public health budgets are under tremendous strain from the uncertain outlook of federal grants;
  • Section 1.2.a requirement that extreme heat “planning includes adequate cooling strategies beyond the use of cooling centers” amounts to a significant operational/financial burden, especially on smaller jurisdictions.

Emergency Management in Washington

  • Transforming Disaster Financing: An Alternative to FEMA Funding: Pierce College students had an article published on disaster recovery alternate financing in the Domestic Preparedness Journal. Check it out!
  • Legislation – Civil Air Patrol and WA Military Department: Legislation was brought forward by Washington Military Department to place Washington Wing Civil Air Patrol (CAP) under the operational oversight of The Adjutant General (TAG) under Title 38 RCW.
    • This joint WMD/CAP initiative mirrors a model that has been successfully implemented in Kansas for several years and is intended to improve how CAP resources are accessed and deployed in support of emergency management across the state.
    • If enacted, the legislation would allow state, local, and tribal requests for CAP support to be coordinated more efficiently through “state active service,” rather than the longer federal approval process. This could result in faster access to capabilities such as aerial reconnaissance, post-disaster damage assessments, sUAS/drone operations, search and rescue support, communications assistance, and other emergency management functions. CAP would continue to conduct federal and U.S. Air Force–assigned missions as appropriate.
    • Importantly, the proposed bill carries no fiscal note and has secured bipartisan sponsorship in both the House and Senate. It has also been approved by the Governor’s Office and the Office of Financial Management for consideration during the upcoming legislative session.
  • Public Listening Session on Wildfire Hazard and Risk Mapping: The Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is hosting public listening sessions to gather input from community members, local emergency managers, building code officials, fire marshals, planners, and other interested stakeholders regarding wildfire hazard mapping and ratings as outlined in SB 6120.
    • Additional details and updates will be available on the DNR website: Wildfire Hazard and Risk Mapping | Department of Natural Resources.
    • Meeting Details
      What: Wildfire Hazard and Risk Mapping – Public Listening Session
      When: January 13, 2026, at 6:00 p.m.
      Where: Washington Department of Natural Resources
      Natural Resources Building
      1111 Washington Street SE
      Olympia, WA 98504
  • WA State Healthcare Situational Awareness Brief: Hospitalized influenza cases have continued to increase over the past few weeks, in the last 7 days climbing from 161 to 238. RSV continues to be variable but is slowly trending upward. Hospitalized COVID+ cases remain relatively flat across all monitored regions of the State. Hospitalized pediatric RSV cases have remained relatively flat over the past 7 days. Please see the DOH respiratory dashboard for historical disease trends and related information. Adult and pediatric ED visits are up for the fourth week in a row throughout WA. Hospital and ED boarders in most areas of WA have increased. Adult ICU bed availability has decreased slightly, while staffed available acute beds have increased. Pediatric ICU bed availability has been highly variable and acute bed availability remains consistent with previous weeks.
  • 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.

Closing Note

Reflection is how we get better. Pride is how we keep going. Remember, not every critique deserves your energy. Lessons learned matter – hot takes do not.

Here’s to a new year rooted in love, kindness, and resilience.

With appreciation and respect for those who are still actively responding or supporting recovery efforts,

Kyle