WSEMA! I hope everyone’s week is going smoothly, or at least smoothly adjacent. Just checking in to confirm…are we thriving or just really good at organized chaos?!
I had the opportunity this week to sit in a room with a group of emergency managers, and I walked away reminded why I love this profession so much. The conversations were thoughtful, candid, and grounded in shared experience. There’s something pretty special about being around folks who understand the work, the stress, and even embrace a little of my ADHD energy.
As I was eating trail mix on the way home, it struck me that our group felt a lot like that. Different pieces, different flavors, but somehow it all comes together perfectly. Every once in a while, you sit in a meeting and think, “Yep, these are my people.”
Let’s do this!
Association News
- WSEMA Conference: Don’t forget to save the date: September 21-24, 2026 at the Muckleshoot Casino. Call for presentations and conference registration will be coming soon.
- Awards: We’ve been toying with the idea of adding awards to this year’s conference – think Emergency Manager of the Year, Emerging Emergency Manager, Organization of the Year, and others. Is this something we should run with? Curious to hear your thoughts.
- WSEMA Certification Collaboration: This group continues to build and refine the WSEMA Certification Program as we move toward full implementation. Great opportunity to help shape the future of certification in Washington. If interested in joining this group, reach out to Matt Green matt@gemsready.com.
- Strategic Planning Committee: This group is focused on guiding WSEMA’s priorities, direction, and long-term vision. If you’re interested in helping steer where we’re headed as an organization, this is the place to be.
- Thursday, April 9 · 4:00 – 5:00pm
Google Meet joining info
Video call link: https://meet.google.com/soh-qfde-fzv
- Thursday, April 9 · 4:00 – 5:00pm
Emergency Management in Washington
- Legislative Input Survey Reminder: Quick nudge. If the legislative survey is still sitting in your inbox, now’s a great time to knock it out. It only takes a few minutes, but it helps shape priorities that impact all of us. Add your voice to the mix.
- Legislative Input Survey
- I’ve also heard some clarification is needed on the Regional Emergency Operations Support Team. This concept would fund and place state-employed emergency management professionals in small and medium jurisdictions across Washington. By embedding these staff locally, jurisdictions gain additional day-to-day support for planning, training, and program development.
- In times of response, these personnel provide immediate surge capacity. The idea of enhancing local capability with no ramp-up time and strengthening coordination between state and local partners.
- WA State Healthcare Situational Awareness Brief: The number of hospitalized patients with influenza continues to trend down. RSV+ and COVID+ inpatient numbers remain low and have been trending relatively flat for the past week. Adult and pediatric ED visits remain consistently elevated with hospitals reporting slightly higher numbers than last week. Pediatric ICU bed availability remains highly variable but consistent. Pediatric acute bed occupancy is consistent with recent weeks. Adult ICU and acute bed availability is also consistent with recent trends. Hospital and ED boarders statewide while still elevated have decreased moderately over the past week.
National EM Updates and Misc.
- DHS Shutdown Update: The Senate passed a funding bill this morning for most of DHS, including TSA, FEMA, and the Coast Guard, but left out ICE and CBP. The bill now heads to the House.
- BRIC Grants: BRIC is back baby! FEMA has announced the release of the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) grant program. This program provides funding for hazard mitigation projects that reduce long-term risk to people and infrastructure. EMD is receiving this information alongside us and is working through next steps…more to come.
- FEMA Review Council: The FEMA Review Council has been extended again, now running through May 29, 2026 (or shortly after its final report is submitted).
- U.S. Senate Confirms Mullin as DHS Secretary: The Senate confirmed Markwayne Mullin as Secretary of DHS on March 23rd.
- Alaska Tests Sensors to Modernize Avalanche Monitoring: Paid for by a federal grant to modernize Department of Transportation avalanche systems, the devices can send real-time cellphone alerts. The funding is to pilot tech that is “not yet widely adopted.”
- Agentic AI Expands Critical Infrastructure Attack Surface Beyond Governance: Agentic AI, systems that can take autonomous actions within critical infrastructure, is rapidly expanding the cyber-attack surface in ways existing governance and security frameworks aren’t equipped to handle. As AI deployment accelerates faster than oversight, it creates new vulnerabilities where compromised or manipulated agents can directly impact real-world systems and operations.
- https://www.govtech.com/em: Multiple articles with some latest emphasis on the response efforts in Hawaii.
- Shoalwater Bay Indian Tribe: History and information about the Shoalwater Bay Indian Tribe.
Training and Resources
- ICS Courses: With the DHS shutdown ending, ICS courses should be back up soon!
- 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
If I had to give this week an activation level, I’m hovering right around “it depends.”
Grateful for this community and the work we get to do together. Take care of yourselves, lean on each other when needed, and keep showing up…organized chaos and all.
Oh, and baseball is back! Go Mariners!
Kyle