PORT TOWNSEND — Jefferson County Department of Emergency Management’s director presented procedures for wildfire evacuation plans on Monday to the board of county commissioners.
The county follows a state procedure which includes three levels of evacuation notices, Willie Bence said.
“Ready, set, go,” Bence said. “Level 1: Get ready, means there’s a condition that exists that you should be aware of. That doesn’t necessarily mean you need to evacuate quite yet. That doesn’t mean evacuations are underway. We would typically issue a Level 1 get ready evacuation if there’s a wildfire nearby that we want folks to be aware of and there’s the possibility of an evacuation that may need to take place.”
Level two, set, means an evacuation order might be pending and residents should be packed and ready to evacuate at any time, Bence said.
The department (DEM) recommends that groups containing people with functional or access needs consider evacuating at level 2, he added.
“It’s not formally recommended at level 2 that the entire population within that area evacuate, but for certain populations, we’ll leave it up to you if you want to give yourself more time and evacuate early,” Bence said.
Some may need more time to evacuate if they have pets or large animals, Bence said.
“Finally, Level 3, go, is self-explanatory,” Bence said. “That means there is an imminent threat, and we are recommending you evacuate promptly.”
Bence said Washington state doesn’t have any laws about mandatory evacuations.
“When we issue a Level 3 evacuation proclamation, that means you are under some sort of imminent danger due to a wildfire,” Bence said. “It is highly recommended you heed that warning and get yourself to safety.”
Public notifications usually will commence at Level 1 through Nixle, the emergency department’s subscription-based text system, Bence said.
“That’s where we send our more regular, non-life safety, but still very important emergency alerts,” Bence said. “We still do recommend folks sign up for Nixle.”
The easiest way is to text Jeffcodem to 888-777, Bence said.
A welcome message provides users an option to receive more location-specific messages by providing a Zip code. Bence said most of the alerts are countywide.
Residents can also sign up for Nixle at https://www.co.jefferson.wa.us/1066/Alerts-Warnings.
If conditions escalate and there is a legitimate life safety threat, DEM would use the Wireless Emergency Alert Service (WEA), as well as the Emergency Alert System (EAS), Bence said.
“(WEA messages) come across your phone as a push alert,” Bence said. “They’re very loud, very annoying, similar to Amber Alerts. All phones are automatically signed up for those, and when we send that alert, it’ll hit every phone connected to the local cell phone towers who haven’t specifically gone into their settings and turned those alerts off.”
EAS disseminates emergency messages through radio and television, Bence said.
The radio stations listed on the DEM’s alerts and warning website were KPTZ 91.9 FM, KROH 91.1 FM and KIRO 97.3 FM.
DEM also would utilize other various communication outlets, including Facebook, Nextdoor and various partners and their alert and communication systems, Bence said.
Bence said in rapidly developing scenarios, there will not necessarily be a location set for where to evacuate to, or what will be waiting at an eventual evacuation site. Those things can take time, which may not be available before making evacuation orders, he said.
Bence said DEM has a good relationship with the Red Cross, the lead mass care and sheltering agency, both locally and nationally.
Two kinds of facilities might be set up — evacuation centers and overnight shelters, Bence said.
“(An evacuation center) is a safe place for folks to evacuate to,” he said. “And then basically await further information. There likely won’t be a hot meal waiting for you; there’s not gonna be cots or a place to sleep overnight.”
The Red Cross does set up overnight sheltering accommodations, Bence said.
“They have agreements with schools and community centers and faith-based facilities across the county,” he said. “Those do take a while to get operational.”
During the Beaver Valley fire last year, an overnight shelter, which didn’t end up seeing use, took three hours to get up and running, Bence said. Red Cross had to bring volunteers from Tacoma, he added.
Bence recommended looking to the community when considering where to go immediately after evacuating.
“Whether it is a friend’s house, maybe a favorite restaurant, something of that nature, have that in the back of your mind,” he said. “Have that as part of your household evacuation plan, and communicate that to your family members. So if you’re at home, someone else is out and about, you can go and meet up at that safe spot.”
Bence noted that the local Red Cross is always in need of volunteers. Volunteers can receive shelter training, he said.
Bence said individuals and households can prepare by considering and planning the various evacuation routes that may be available to them.
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Reporter Elijah Sussman can be reached by email at elijah.sussman@sequimgazette.com.
