Emergency Management Responsibilities Of Elected Officials
Emergencies and disasters occur in local communities. The local government is primarily responsible for preparing for disasters and helping residents recover. A key factor is to be prepared before a situation occurs. Chapter 38.52 RCW covers most of the requirements for executive heads of political subdivisions, which are identified as mayors, city councils, and boards of commissioners. A political subdivision is considered a county, city or town.
Washington State Association of Counties (WSAC)
Created in 1906, the Washington State Association of Counties (WSAC)
has worked to advocate for local government needs and support critical
county services for nearly a century. WSAC members include elected county
commissioners, council members and executives from all of Washington 's 39
counties. Each year WSAC works with statewide elected officials and members
of the Legislature to promote positions that help counties serve their
citizens.
In addition to general public safety responsibilities, counties have specific
statutory duties to provide emergency management, both individually and in
partnership with state and federal agencies. Inter-county and intra-county
mutual aid agreements also are becoming more prevalent and are increasingly
important to ensure seamless services across jurisdictional lines. Counties
engage in planning and preparedness activities, and often are the front line
for response and recovery efforts. These functions traditionally have involved
natural disasters, such as floods, fires, windstorms and earthquakes. More
recently, the focus has broadened with a sense of urgency to include human-caused
disasters such as terrorist and biological attacks.
WSAC Policy: Although many disasters can create eventual
far-reaching impacts, every disaster is felt first in a local community. Counties
work hard to develop disaster-resistant communities with local and regional
response capabilities adequate to meet basic needs until outside assistance
can be secured. WSAC supports local and regional mutual aid agreements, and
supports continued partnerships with the state Emergency Management Division,
the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Office of Homeland Security,
tribal governments, as well as other relevant agencies and private industry.
With the recent heightened potential for terrorist activity, counties now
face significant demands for enhanced security, specialized training, public
education, new equipment, and time-consuming multi-jurisdictional simulation
exercises. However, WSAC strongly believes that addressing terrorism must
not weaken counties’ traditional emergency management focus on natural
disasters. WSAC enthusiastically supports an “all-hazard” approach
for emergency management planning, preparation, training, and mitigation activities.
Association of Washington Cities (AWC)
The Association of Washington Cities (AWC) exists to create and maintain
livable cities and towns throughout the state.
In pursuit of this mission, AWC provides leadership to:
- Enhance the capacity of local officials to perform their responsibilities.
- Continue to develop organized channels of communication to allow cities and towns to deal effectively with all other governmental entities.
- Share ideas, information, services and technology for the benefit of all cities and towns.
Assist cities and towns in anticipating and managing change.
About CPO
The Certified Public Officials Program (CPO) was developed in collaborative
partnership with agencies committed to strengthening and promoting the leadership
capacity of elected and appointed county officials in Washington State.The
program provides local officials with professional development opportunities
that accentuate the vital personal skills and abilities needed to facilitate
positive change and innovation within their counties. Those officials who
complete the program will become a “Certified Public Official.”
Goals of the CPO Program
- To provide education and professional development opportunities. To offer tools to enhance the leadership and decision-making ability of elected and appointed county officials.
- To increase the skills of community leaders to build collaborative relationships and strengthen citizen participation in local government.
- To assist county government associations in meeting the professional development and training needs of their members. To maximize the limited education/training dollars available to staff in 39 Washington counties.
- To utilize the ability and resources of the land grant university to bring effective educational programs to county government.
Why is a CPO Important to County Officials?
The job of county government officials is complicated, demanding and ever-changing.
With the decade-long process of devolution, there has been a systematic transference
of responsibilities from the federal government to state and local jurisdictions,
most often without corresponding funding. Public officials at the local level
must maintain government operations that reflect sound public policies and
provide needed public goods for their citizens. Local government is
more important than ever before. The Certified Public Officials program will
enhance your governing and leadership abilities.
Washington Association of County Officials (WACO)
The membership of the Washington Association of County Officials (WACO) includes
elected county assessors, auditors, clerks, coroners and medical examiners,
prosecuting attorneys, sheriffs, treasurers and comparable appointed officials
in charter counties. WACO is a non-profit, bi-partisan organization.
WACO is comprised of affiliate organizations for every county official in Washington 's 39 counties. These affiliate associations meet throughout the year, bringing colleagues together to discuss issues of common interest and to exchange ideas and opinions.
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