By Madeline Coats
Washington Newspaper Publishers Association
A plan in the Legislature seeks to better prepare Washington state public schools for natural or human-caused catastrophic incidents. The bill was requested by the state Military Department.
House Bill 1200 was co-sponsored by a bipartisan group of 10 representatives and introduced by Rep. Laurie Dolan (D-Olympia).
“Everyday, 1.1 million of our kids spend most of their waking hours in school buildings,” Dolan said during a public hearing.
The Military Department and public schools have worked together for years on this plan, she said.
The bill requires the Military Department adjutant general to partner with the state Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction to develop, maintain, train and exercise catastrophic incident plans.
With the large number of school-age children, the military department will need to focus additional assistance to plan for seismic risks, according to the bill.
An earthquake on the Seattle Fault poses the greatest risk to Seattle. The most recent fault quake was 1,100 years ago and an earthquake could reach a magnitude of 7.5, as stated by Emergency Management in the city of Seattle.
Maj. Gen. Bret Daugherty, the adjutant general, is responsible for developing a comprehensive, all-hazard emergency plan for the state, known as the Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan. The bill requires an analysis of natural, technological or human-caused hazards, and procedures to coordinate and distribute local and state resources.
A catastrophic incident is defined as any natural or human-caused emergency. According to the bill, such an incident can be expected to result in extraordinary levels of mass casualties, damage or disruption to the population, infrastructure, environment, economy or government functions.
In the event of a catastrophic event, the state will almost immediately exceed the resources normally available and significantly disrupt government operations, schools and emergency services, the bill states.
“We live in one of the most hazard prone parts of the country,” said Robert Ezelle, director of the Military Department Emergency Management Division.
He testified in support of the bill and aims to take a look at the next level of planning a response to a catastrophic emergency beyond normal response capabilities.
