Emergency Preparedness
The Town's mission for emergency preparedness and response is to become as self-sufficient as we can be while fitting in with or complimenting the plans of our emergency responders and of the cities that surround us. The Council has completed work on the Beaux Arts Village Disaster Plan (see link below) and continues developing emergency-response sheets to guide local responders, developing a schedule for testing equipment and response plans, and maintaining the work accomplished to date by residents on Map Your Neighborhood (MYN).
The following are links to existing plans for our neighbors and emergency responders and other useful emergency-response-planning information:
- Bellevue Fire Dept - https//fire.bellevuewa.gov/emergency-management/ (Beaux Arts contracts with Bellevue Fire Dept.)
- King County Emergency Management - https://www.kingcounty.gov/depts/emergency-management.aspx
- Washington State Emergency Management - https://mil.wa.gov/emergency-management-division and https://www.mil.wa.gov/preparedness
- Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) - https://www.ready.gov/
Your Town Council regularly reviews the emergency response plan to ensure that it remains appropriate. In addition, Councilmembers participate informally in King County's Great Shake Out drill to test that the plan is workable and that the supplies needed are readily available. These drills also ensure that the Town has access to the Regional Operations System, which is used to report situation updates and collaborate with other cities in King County after a large-scale disaster. The Council also tests the Town's emergency communications plan. As a result of these drills, The Council has ironed out a number of details, achieved a common understanding of why we practice our plans, reviewed the role of Councilmembers in the event of an emergency, and evaluate how we can be better prepared to help our neighbors should the need arise.
The Council continues to develop ideas for taking our town to the next level to make sure we can be the calm after the storm when a disaster strikes. We strongly encourage residents to continue their own planning, including family conversations about what to do and how to check in with each otherwhen a disaster strikes, what supplies each family member should have at home, at work and in personal vehicles, and other relevant information. To assist with these preparations, we have posted Relevant Documents below and will add new information as we find it, and we encourage everyone to review their MYN block preparation and Beaux Arts' local procedures as they are being refined.
Feel free to contact Councilmember Aletha Howes or Clerk/Treasurer Sue Ann Spens with your questions, comments, suggestions, etc.