Emergency planning and preparation involves local, state and federal agencies and other entities equipped to provide assistance to those in need, volunteer groups like JEPP and CERT in Joyce. It's meant to be a highly coordinated effort. An effective and efficient response to man-made or natural disasters depends upon advance training and preparation. The entities listed below are working together to ensure disaster readiness and community resiliency so Joyce residents will be able to cope with large scale disasters, including an anticipated Cascadia Subduction Zone (CSZ) rupture which will likely result in an earthquake measuring 9.0 on the Richter Scale.
The Joyce Emergency Planning and Preparation Group is a subcommittee of the Joyce Fire Auxiliary, a 501(c)(3) non profit organization. JEPP was formed to support the mission of the Joyce Fire Auxiliary which is “to promote the ability of Clallam County Fire Protection District No. 4 to provide effective and efficient service in response to man-made or natural disasters.” The Clallam County EOC has recognized that in our rural area, dependent on bridges that cross many rivers and streams, a catastrophic earthquake would likely create isolated communities or “micro islands,” restricting access by land and preventing the flow of emergency aide for days if not weeks in a crisis. The JEPP Group’s vision is a disaster ready and resilient Joyce and its mission is to prepare our small community to cope with large scale disasters, including a major earthquake.
The JEPP group meets monthly at the CCFD4 Firehouse in Joyce, from 6:30 to 8:30 pm. An agenda is circulated to committee members beforehand and minutes are kept at each meeting, and then archived. Topics routinely include updates regarding recent developments at the local, county and state levels; coordination with various agencies; cache upgrades; shelter planning; an income and expenditures report; project work, fundraising efforts and relevant Auxiliary and Joyce CERT team activities.
The Joyce CERT team will coordinate with JEPP and CCFD#4 following a disaster, providing direct assistance to the Joyce Emergency Shelter (JES) should it be opened and helping run its Disaster Service Center. A number of CERT team members are also members of JEPP. Joyce CERT is an Emergency Response Team (ERT) which has prepared for many years to be ready and able to respond to an emergency incident, including man-made and natural disasters, mass casualty events, or severe disruptions within the community. It has been trained to provide support to first responders (force multiplication) and immediate assistance to victims – “the greatest good for the greatest number.” On an ongoing basis, through hands on practice and realistic exercises, the team has sharpened and broadened its (basic) disaster response skills, which include team organization, light search and rescue, fire suppression, extraction, basic 1st aid, establishing medical treatment areas, and understanding disaster psychology (survivor trauma, mental health). It has also helped the community improve disaster preparedness and post-event resiliency, defined as “the capacity of people, organizations or systems to adapt to changing conditions and withstand and rapidly recover from disruption due to emergencies.” Click here for a chart showing Joyce CERT's Role in the Larger Emergency Response Network/Hierarchy.
The Clallam County Fire Protection District 4 - Joyce Station, located in Port Angeles, WA, provides fire protection and emergency response services to the Port Angeles community. The Fire Department's mission is to prevent the loss of life and property. In addition to responding to fires, the Clallam County Fire Protection District 4 - Joyce Station also responds to medical emergencies, motor vehicle accidents, rescue calls, and incidents involving hazardous materials. The District is governed by an elected, five-member Board of Commissioners. JEPP holds its meetings at the Clallam County Fire District 4 station, located at 51250 Highway 112, and works closely with its Fire Chief and volunteers, at times participating in drills. A portion of the JEPP emergency cache is located on CCFD4 property.
The Joyce Fire Department Auxiliary is registered with the State of Washington as a 501c3 non-profit organization. The Auxiliary is not a direct part of Clallam County Fire District #4, but assists the Joyce area community in helping to create and maintain equipment, materials and supplies that will be used to provide shelter for people after a major disaster. The Auxiliary helps raise funds for JEPP, keeps a detailed ledger of JEPP income and expenditures, and acts upon JEPP recommendations for purchases.
The Auxiliary was established to support Clallam County Fire Protection District No. 4's efforts to provide effective and efficient service in response to man-made or natural disasters, and to recognize its value, acknowledge its achievements, keep the community informed regarding emergency information, and provide timely safety news about the area. Click here to access the Joyce Fire Auxiliary and Friends Facebook page managed by the The Joyce Fire Auxiliary.
The vision of Clallam County Sheriff's Department is to foster an environment where citizens feel safe and take pride and comfort in the quality of life in our community; and that the quality of life will be positively impacted by the incorporation of community oriented policing strategies, positive leadership, contemporary technologies, and efficient and effective use of resources in the delivery of all law enforcement services. It's mission is to provide Ethical, Quality, and Responsive Service to the community with Pride and Professionalism. This commitment encompasses the improvement of quality of life for those we serve, by delivering the highest standard of law enforcement services. All of this applies to planning an preparation for major disasters. Click here for access to Clallam County's Sheriff's Website.
Clallam County's Division of Emergency Management (CC-EMD) plans for and responds to both natural and man-made disasters. These range from weather, floods, tsunamis, and earthquakes to incidents involving hazardous materials, or significant law enforcement events. The division prepares and implements a county-wide Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan, routinely conducts extensive exercises to test county emergency response capabilities and provides educational materials to the public to better prepare them for emergency events. This section of the Sheriff’s Office is Clallam counties liaison with federal and local agencies on emergencies of all kinds. Division staff members provide technical assistance to local governments as they prepare emergency plans and procedures and they also conduct emergency operations training for local governmental agencies. Click here to access the Clallam County EMD website.
During state emergencies, Washington State’s EMD manages the State Emergency Operations Center located on Camp Murray, near Tacoma, and coordinates the response to ensure help is provided to those who need it quickly and effectively. The EOC is designated as the central location for information gathering, disaster analysis, and response coordination. Other state agencies with emergency roles may come to the EOC to help coordinate the state response. Federal government agencies, along with state and local volunteer organizations, also may provide representatives. At the EOC, information gathered is used by executives to make decisions concerning emergency actions and to identify and prioritize the use of state resources needed to respond to the emergency. Click here for access to Washington State's Emergency Management Division website.
FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from and mitigate all hazards. FEMA’s Region X supports the citizens and first responders of Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington. From its offices in Bothell, Washington, and Anchorage, Alaska, FEMA Region X works with the emergency management agencies of the Pacific Northwest, including Washington’s Emergency Management Division. Click here for access to FEMA's website.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency consists of ten regions in the continental United States and territories. FEMA's Region 10 office, located in Bothell, Washington oversees federal emergency management for Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Alaska and 271 tribal nations. Click on this boldfaced heading to access the Region 10 | FEMA.gov website.
Click the title at right to access a larger view of the graphic at left which depicts Clallam County's Emergency Management Area Command organization chart, the hierarchy beginning with Washington State's EOC at Camp Murray (under FEMA), leading next to Clallam County's EOC in Port Angeles, and then on down to five operational areas. The Joyce Operational Area (JOA), the focus of JEPP efforts, covers three potential micro islands - Joyce, Pillar Point and Indian Valley. In planning for major earthquakes and other severely disruptive disasters, the JOA has been designated a "stand alone micro-island command center."