EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT

Emergency Management Mission

1. The City of Orting Government will prepare for, respond to, recover from, and mitigate against disasters, natural and manmade, impacting City of Orting to its best ability with available resources.  This will be done for the purpose of protecting lives, property, the economy, and the environment.

2. The City Government will work cooperatively with other governmental authorities and jurisdictions, the military, tribes, private businesses and departments, volunteer organizations, and individual citizens to achieve the mission.

3. The City of Orting Department of Emergency Management goals are to:

• Develop citizen awareness and self-sufficiency.
• Implement warning and emergency notification procedures, and evacuation route identification.
• Apply an all-hazards approach to emergency contingency planning.
• Develop procedures for emergency operations, enhance responder capabilities, and coordinate emergency resources.
• Administer recovery activities.
• Facilitate mitigation efforts through hazard identification and risk assessments, and identify corrective actions.
• Create an atmosphere of interagency cooperation during those operations.
• Coordinate public information.
• Maintain a continuity of operations plan that provides for delivery of essential services with essential staff during extreme emergencies.

Emergency / Disaster Conditions and Hazards

1. Emergencies and disasters can occur in City of Orting at any time causing significant human suffering, injury and death, public and private property damage, environmental degradation, loss of essential services, economic hardship to businesses, families, and individuals, and disruption to local, state, Native American governments, and other governmental entities.

2. The City of Orting is vulnerable to many natural hazards such as the damaging effects of high winds, floods, storms, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, landslides, avalanches, drought, snowstorms, fires, and land subsidence. The City is also vulnerable to a variety of manmade hazards such as the damaging effects of hazardous materials and chemical munitions incidents, explosions, power outages, pipeline failures, transportation accidents, dam failures, computer failures, acts of terrorism, and civil disturbance.

3. The potential exists for emergencies or disasters occurring outside of the City of Orting to negatively affect the City.  Coordination of any hazard-specific program will be essential to the successful mitigation of, preparation for, response to, or recovery from the hazard.

Planning Assumptions

1. Some emergencies and disasters occur with sufficient advance notice that there is time to take preparatory actions.  Other emergencies will occur without notice.

2. There are four organizational separations for governmental emergency preparedness, response, and recovery: City, county, state, and federal.  Preparedness, warning, protection, and recovery are general responsibilities of all governments working together.  Emergency operations are initiated locally for a rapid response to the emergency or disaster.

3. Citizens, businesses, City departments, and local industries will utilize their own resources and be self-sufficient for at least seven (7) days following an emergency or disaster.

4. The severity of problems resulting from a disaster or emergency will depend on factors such as time of occurrence, severity of impact, existing weather conditions, area demographics, and nature of building construction.  Collateral incidents such as fire, floods, and hazardous materials releases will increase the impact on the community, multiply losses, and hinder the immediate emergency response effort.

5. The City will endeavor to maintain essential services as soon as and long as possible. Conditions may be of such magnitude and severity that some or all City services may be lost. The City will be unable to fulfill all emergency requests under these conditions. Setting of priorities will be necessary.