2501 South 35th Street
Tacoma, WA 98409-7405
(253) 798-6595
Office Hours are 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM, Monday through Friday (Excluding Holidays)
Our Mission
The mission of the Department of Emergency Management is as follows: Prepare Pierce County for disaster through public education, training, planning and building interagency cooperation; Supporting a system of Emergency Medical Services and trauma care; Prevention of fires through inspection, plan review, education and investigation; The administration of the county's radio communications system; and The administration of the county-wide Enhanced 9-1-1 program.
The Department of Emergency Management is made up of five divisions:
The Emergency Management Division is responsible for preparing Pierce County for disasters or emergencies. This division activates the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) whenever necessary to coordinate and facilitate resources to minimize the impact of emergencies and disasters on people, property, the economy and the environment.
The division develops the County's Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan (CEMP), which provides guidance to all County agencies regarding emergency responsibilities in the event of natural or manmade emergency.
As of November 1, 2004, the County is also required by federal law to have an approved Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan (DMA2K Plan), to encourage sustained action to reduce or eliminate longterm risk from natural hazards and their effects.
The division provides planning and training, and public education opportunities to the citizens in the County and our towns and cities. The division also provides administrative and training support to FEMA's Washington Urban Search and Rescue Task Force (WA-TF1).
Additionally, the division coordinates volunteer emergency workers for wilderness search and rescue operations and flood fighting efforts around the County.
All plans must be based on a written assessment and listing of the hazards to which the County is vulnerable (Chapter 118-30 Washington Administrative Code). This written assessment is known as the Hazard Identification and Vulnerability Assessment or HIVA.
Pierce County has had ten Presidentially declared natural disasters between January 1990 and March 2001 and is situated in one of the most disaster-prone areas of the U.S.
Ten most Recent Presidentially-declared natural disasters in Pierce County:
- December 1990: Storms, High Winds and Flooding
- January 1993: 'Inauguration Day' Storm
- August 1994: Economic Disaster ( El Nino: Fishing Industry)
- November/December 1995: Major Flooding and Winds
- February 1996: Major Flooding
- December 1996/February 1997: Ice Storm and Flooding
- March 1997: Major Flooding
- February 2001: Nisqually Earthquake
- October 2002: Storm and Flood
- September 2005: Hurricane Katrina
