Prepare for Emergencies
Our area is susceptible to all forms of natural and human-caused disasters. A winter storm could confine families to their homes. A hazardous material spill on one of our highways could cause the need for evacuations. A severe storm could cut off water, electricity, telephone, and other services we rely on daily.
Tacoma’s community members and businesses play an essential role in preparing Tacoma for disaster. Under normal circumstances, the city has emergency services to handle the types and quantities of emergencies experienced in our area daily. However, in a disaster or large-scale emergency, such as a major earthquake or terrorist attack, the City’s limited emergency response resources must prioritize their activities.
Depending upon the scope and extent of the emergency, residents may find it necessary to be self-sufficient for as many as 14 days while emergency responders recover, organize resources, assess the overall situation, and deal with the most urgent needs in the city. Safe, secure, and prepared individuals, families, and households are often less dependent on response services, which, in turn, places fewer responders in hazardous response situations. Those who prepare will reduce their stress, be able to reach out to others in need of assistance, and be better positioned to actively contribute to post-disaster response and recovery efforts.
Steps to Prepare
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Get Emergency Notifications and General Notifications delivered right to your phone and/or email box. No matter where you are, alerts to your phone will tell you if there is an issue near your home, business, school, etc. Go to Tacoma’s Emergency Notification System web page to learn more and sign up. Apps also available for Apple and Android devices.
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A home disaster kit should be stored in an easily accessible location near an exit or in an outdoor shed. If you spend significant time in your car or at work, you should also have appropriate disaster supplies for these locations. Make a kit containing, at the very minimum, the following supplies:
- A supply of dry or canned food and drinking water for 14 days (for each person in your household). Plan to use one gallon of water per person per day.
- A manually-operated can opener if your stored food is canned.
- A battery-powered radio with extra batteries. Local news radio stations include KPLU 88.5 FM, KUOW 94.9 FM, KIRO 710 AM, KIRO 97.3 FM, and KOMO 1000 AM.
- A flashlight with extra batteries.
- A first aid kit (and knowledge of how to use it).
- A 14-day supply of required medication (for each person in your household).
Prepare for an emergency by completing this year’s Prepare In A Year Campaign. Choose one hour each month to complete the designated activity.
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Immediately following a disaster, local phone service can quickly become overwhelmed. Yet, phone calls to people living out of the area are often possible during these outages. All household members can use your out-of-state contact to provide and receive updates.
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Fire: Everyone in your household should know two ways out of each room. Establish a place outside of your home where everyone will meet after exiting.
Earthquake: Everyone in your household should know what to do during an earthquake, “Drop, Cover and Hold” (get under a piece of furniture, hold on to it so it does not move from covering you, and wait for the shaking to stop). Do not exit your house or building during an earthquake because falling objects, such as bricks or other parts of the structure, electrical wires, or tree limbs, may hit you. Be aware that aftershocks may happen once the initial quake is over.
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Water, electricity, and natural gas may need to be turned off in the event of an emergency. Make sure you know how to do this and contact a licensed professional if you need help learning how.
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There are policies and procedures for releasing students during or after a disaster, locking down the facility, and providing for student’s welfare should they need to stay at the school for a while. Parents and caregivers need to know and understand these procedures ahead of time and follow them when implemented.
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This national preparedness program helps residents pre-determine assets and resources immediately available following a disaster. For more information on this program, visit http://www.emd.wa.gov/myn.
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Consider taking advantage of emergency training that may help you and your family in a disaster or emergency.
- CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation): Tacoma residents can learn this life-saving skill for free by calling the Tacoma Fire Department. Preregistration is required; call (253) 594-7979. Go to our CPR Classes and Resources web page for class schedules.
- First Aid: This training is available through the local American Red Cross chapter at (253) 474-0400.
- CERT (Community Emergency Response Teams): This disaster response training teaches the skills necessary to respond to emergency needs in your neighborhood when professional responders cannot reach you after an emergency. It is free of charge to all Tacoma residents, including people with disabilities and people with access and functional needs. Sign up for CERT with a CERT Interest Form, or visit our Classes and Resources for Community web page to view upcoming CERT sessions.
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Utilize the Buddy System—If you are disabled, elderly, or otherwise need special assistance, designate an individual to contact you following a disaster.
Consider registering with the City Emergency Management Program. Doing so allows emergency managers to consider your special needs in emergency response planning. You can register by contacting the Tacoma Fire Department/Emergency Management at EmergencyManagement@tacoma.gov.
Notify Tacoma Public Utilities (TPU) before a disaster occurs if a loss of power would disproportionately affect your safety or well-being or that of someone in your household (e.g., ventilator dependency, etc.). This allows TPU staff to prioritize restoring power to your home. Contact Tacoma Public Utilities at (253) 502-8600.
Are You Prepared at Home? 30 Second PSA
Are You Prepared at Work? 30 Second PSA
Tips and Resources for Businesses
Having an emergency plan for your organization is a critical link in the community’s preparedness. On a larger scale, governments at the federal, state and local level prepare plans to take care of the infrastructure of a community which may be damaged in a large scale disaster. These include the roads, bridges, utility, and communications systems we rely upon daily. For example, they plan how to warn people, and how to get fire, police, and public works services to those who need them.
An emergency can often overwhelm the resources of a community. When that happens we tend to call it a disaster. The services you have come to rely upon may not be available. In many cases, the outage spans several days. Services such as being able to call 9-1-1 and receive a quick response for fire suppression, medical aid, or police protection, may simply not be an option until conditions stabilize somewhat. It is at this point that your emergency plan becomes absolutely critical, and the effort you have put forth toward preparedness becomes supremely valuable.
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Chapter 4 of the International Fire Code, as adopted by Washington State and the City of Tacoma, requires that fire safety, fire evacuation, and earthquake emergency plans be developed for a variety of occupancies.
As a business owner, apartment manager, or administrator it is your responsibility to write your facilities emergency plan. The good news is that you are the expert for your building. You know how many occupants you have, what the layout of your facility is, and what type of activities people do in your building.
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In order to assist you with your disaster preparedness needs, we offer the following resources:
- A fire, emergency, and earthquake plan review or consultation.
- Disaster Preparedness Class for you and your employees: We can observe Evacuation Drills and make recommendations, and we offer free hands on Fire Extinguisher Classes.
If you would like more information about any of the services or would like to schedule a class, please call (253) 404-3736 or email us at emergencymanagement@tacoma.gov.
Hazards and Planning Resources
Contact
Info for emergencies, call 9-1-1